The Gods Read The Lost Hero
by DeathAssassinFaerie
Summary: Percy, Annabeth, Nico, Leo, Hazel, Frank, Piper, and Jason go back into time to show the Olympians what Hera has done. They discover that Zeus has been given three books that will show what Hera has done. I don't own anything! **On Hiatus for a little while**
1. Chapter 1

"Percy! Annabeth! H-how?" Nico ran up to them.  
Nico, Percy, Annabeth, Leo, Piper, Jason, Hazel, and Frank were standing inside of Olympus.  
"W-we don't know. Are we like in the past or something?" Percy asked.  
"Maybe you kids can help us figure that out too." Zeus said and the eight demigods turned around.  
He held up three books. _The Lost Hero, The Son of Neptune, Mark of Athena. _The demigods looked at each other.  
"I think those are about us." Annabeth spoke up. "I also think that we were send here to show you what happened."  
"What happened?" Poseidon and Athena asked at the same time.  
"You'll find out." Jason said.  
The demigods sat on the floor and Zeus threw the first book at Hades. "You first."  
Hades groaned, but started reading.

**EVEN BEFORE HE GOT ELECTROCUTED, Jason was having a rotten day.**

Nico snickered. "How could _you_ get electrocuted?"

Jason sighed and shook his head.

**He woke in the backseat of a school bus, not sure where he was, holding hands with a girl he didn't know. That wasn't necessarily the rotten part. The girl was cute, but he couldn't figure out who she was or what he was doing there. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to think. A few dozen kids sprawled in the seats in front of him, listening to iPods, talking, or sleeping. They al looked around his age … fifteen? Sixteen?**

"Awwwwww you thought I was cute?" Piper looked like she might kiss Jason right there and then.

**Okay, that was scary. He didn't know his own age.**

**The bus rumbled along a bumpy road. Out the windows, desert rolled by under a bright blue sky. Jason was pretty sure he didn't live in the desert. He tried to think back … the last thing he remembered …**

**The girl squeezed his hand. "Jason, you okay?"**

**She wore faded jeans, hiking boots, and a fleece snowboarding jacket. Her chocolate brown hair was cut choppy and uneven, with thin strands braided down the sides. She wore no makeup like she was trying not to draw attention to herself, but it didn't work. She was seriously pretty. Her eyes seemed to change color like a kaleidoscope—brown, blue, and green.**

**Jason let go of her hand. "Um, I don't—"**

**In the front of the bus, a teacher shouted, "Al right, cupcakes, listen up!"**

"Coach is so annoying." Leo complained and all the demigods nodded in agreement.

"I remember that Satyr." Dionysus rolled his eyes.

Some of the gods and goddesses snickered.

"Doesn't seem like you liked him." Hera said.

All of the demigods glared at her and she shut up. "I can't believe what you caused." Annabeth's eyes narrowed.

"Calm down, Wise Girl. She doesn't even know it yet." Percy put his arm around Annabeth's shoulder's and Aphrodite squealed.

**The guy was obviously a coach. His baseball cap was pulled low over his hair, so you could just see his beady eyes. He had a wispy goatee and a sour face, like he'd eaten something moldy. His buff arms and chest pushed against a bright orange polo shirt. His nylon workout pants and Nikes were spotless white. A whistle hung from his neck, and a megaphone was clipped to his belt. He would've looked pretty scary if he hadn't been five feet zero. When he stood up in the aisle, one of the students called, "Stand up, Coach Hedge!"**

**"I heard that!" The coach scanned the bus for the offender. Then his eyes fixed on Jason, and his scowl deepened. A jolt went down Jason's spine. He was sure the coach knew he didn't belong there. He was going to cal Jason out, demand to know what he was doing on the bus—and Jason wouldn't have a clue what to say.**

**But Coach Hedge looked away and cleared his throat. "We'll arrive in five minutes! Stay with your partner. Don't lose your worksheet. And if any of you precious little cupcakes causes any trouble on this trip, I will personally send you back to campus the hard way."**

"I wonder what the hard way is." Percy looked at Leo.

"You honestly don't want to know." Leo laughed.

**He picked up a baseball bat and made like he was hitting a home run.**

**Jason looked at the girl next to him. "Can he talk to us that way?"**

**She shrugged. "Always does. This is the Wilderness School. 'Where kids are the animals.'"**

**She said it like it was a joke they'd shared before.**

**"This is some kind of mistake," Jason said. "I'm not supposed to be here."**

**The boy in front of him turned and laughed. "Yeah, right, Jason. We've all been framed! I didn't run away six times. Piper didn't steal a BMW."**

**The girl blushed. "I didn't steal that car, Leo!"  
**

The gods looked at Piper and her face started turning red. "I didn't!"

**"Oh, I forgot, Piper. What was your story? You 'talked' the dealer into lending it to you?" He raised his eyebrows at Jason like, _Can you believe_ her?**

"Wait, wait, wait... Piper McLean?" Aphrodite asked.

"Hi mom." Piper waved.

"You can use charmspeak?"

"Yep, and it's very powerful." Jason said.

**Leo looked like a Latino Santa's elf, with curly black hair, pointy ears, a cheerful, babyish face, and a mischievous smile that told you right away this guy should not be trusted around matches or sharp objects. His long, nimble fingers wouldn't stop moving—drumming on the seat, sweeping his hair behind his ears, fiddling with the buttons of his army fatigue jacket. Either the kid was naturally hyper or he was hopped up on enough sugar and caffeine to give a heart attack to a water buffalo.**

"Hey!" Leo pouted.

The gods laughed and Hades yelled, "SHUT UP AND LET ME READ!"

**"Anyway," Leo said, "I hope you've got your worksheet, 'cause I used mine for spit wads days ago. Why are you looking at me like that? Somebody draw on my face again?"**

**"I don't know you," Jason said.**

**Leo gave him a crocodile grin. "Sure. I'm not your best friend. I'm his evil clone."**

**"Leo Valdez!" Coach Hedge yel ed from the front. "Problem back there?"**

**Leo winked at Jason. "Watch this." He turned to the front. "Sorry, Coach! I was having trouble hearing you. Could you use your megaphone, please?"**

**Coach Hedge grunted like he was pleased to have an excuse. He unclipped the megaphone from his belt and continued giving directions, but his voice came out like Darth Vader's. The kids cracked up. The coach tried again, but this time the megaphone blared: "The cow says moo!"**

The gods chuckled at this.

"I remember this!" Leo smiled foolishly.

**The kids howled, and the coach slammed down the megaphone. "Valdez!"**

**Piper stifled a laugh. "My god, Leo. How did you do that?"**

**Leo slipped a tiny Philips head screwdriver from his sleeve. "I'm a special boy."**

"Yeah, no kidding." Jason rolled his eyes.

"Aren't you my son?" Hephaestus asked.

"Yep!" Leo smiled brightly.

They're lucky he didn't go on fire. Then he'd be smiling even brighter.

**"Guys, seriously," Jason pleaded. "What am I doing here? Where are we going?"**

**Piper knit her eyebrows. "Jason, are you joking?"**

**"No! I have no idea—"**

**"Aw, yeah, he's joking," Leo said. "He's trying to get me back for that shaving cream on the Jell-O thing, aren't you?"**

**Jason stared at him blankly.**

**"No, I think he's serious." Piper tried to take his hand again, but he pulled it away.**

**"I'm sorry," he said. "I don't—I can't—"**

"Sorry, Pipes. I wish I did remember you." Jason took Piper's hand and motioned for Hades to continue.

**"That's it!" Coach Hedge yelled from the front. "The back row has just volunteered to clean up after lunch!"**

**The rest of the kids cheered.**

**"There's a shocker," Leo muttered.**

**But Piper kept her eyes on Jason, like she couldn't decide whether to be hurt or worried. "Did you hit your head or something? You really don't know who we are?"**

**Jason shrugged helplessly. "It's worse than that. I don't know who _I am."_**

**The bus dropped them in front of a big red stucco complex like a museum, just sitting in the middle of nowhere. Maybe that's what it was: the National Museum of Nowhere, Jason thought. A cold wind blew across the desert. Jason hadn't paid much attention to what he was wearing, but it wasn't nearly warm enough: jeans and sneakers, a purple T-shirt, and a thin black windbreaker.**

"I get the purple shirt now." Leo said.

The gods looked at him weirdly. What did Leo mean by that?

**"So, a crash course for the amnesiac," Leo said, in a helpful tone that made Jason think this was not going to be helpful.** "I was too help!" Leo protested. **"We go to the 'Wilderness School'"—Leo made air quotes with his fingers. "Which means we're 'bad kids.' Your family, or the court, or whoever, decided you were too much trouble, so they shipped you off to this lovely prison—sorry, 'boarding school'—in Armpit, Nevada, where you learn valuable nature skills like running ten miles a day through the cacti and weaving daisies into hats! And for a special treat we go on 'educational' field trips with Coach Hedge, who keeps order with a baseball bat. Is it all coming back to you now?"**

****"Nope," Jason laughed.

**"No." Jason glanced apprehensively at the other kids: maybe twenty guys, half that many girls. None of them looked like hardened criminals, but he wondered what they'd all done to get sentenced to a school for delinquents, and he wondered why he belonged with them. Leo rolled his eyes. "You're really gonna play this out, huh? Okay, so the three of us started here together this semester. We're totally tight. You do everything I say and give me your dessert and do my chores—"**

**"Leo!" Piper snapped.**

**"Fine. Ignore that last part. But we _are friends. Well, Piper's a little more than your friend, the last few weeks—"_**

**"Leo, stop it!" Piper's face turned red. Jason could feel his face burning too. He thought he'd remember if he'd been going out with a girl like Piper.**

**"He's got amnesia or something," Piper said. "We've got to tell somebody."**

**Leo scoffed. "Who, Coach Hedge? He'd try to fix Jason by whacking him upside the head."**

****"He would totally do that." Annabeth grinned.

"He totally would and probably sing spongebob or something." Percy laughed.

"Or yell DIE!" Leo mimicked Coach's voice horribly.

**The coach was at the front of the group, barking orders and blowing his whistle to keep the kids in line; but every so often he'd glance back at Jason and scowl.**

**"Leo, Jason needs help," Piper insisted. "He's got a concussion or—"**

**"Yo, Piper." One of the other guys dropped back to join them as the group was heading into the museum. The new guy wedged himself between Jason and Piper and knocked Leo down. "Don't talk to these bottom-feeders. You're my partner, remember?"**

**The new guy had dark hair cut Superman style, a deep tan, and teeth so white they should've come with a warning label: do not stare directly at teeth. permanent blindness may occur. He wore a Dallas Cowboys jersey, Western jeans and boots, and he smiled like he was God's gift to juvenile delinquent girls everywhere. Jason hated him instantly.**

"Jealous much?" Apollo looked at Jason and laughed.

Jason's face had turned red.

**"Go away, Dylan," Piper grumbled. "I didn't ask to work with you."**

**"Ah, that's no way to be. This is your lucky day!" Dylan hooked his arm through hers and dragged her through the museum entrance. Piper shot one last look over her shoulder like, _911._**

**Leo got up and brushed himself off. "I hate that guy." He offered Jason his arm, like they should go skipping inside together. "'I'm Dylan. I'm so cool, I want to date myself, but I can't figure out how! You want to date me instead? You're so lucky!'"**

"Totally! We should skip now!" Jason and Leo locked arms and started skipping.

The gods looked at them weirdly and Hades continued.

**"Leo," Jason said, "you're weird."**

**"Yeah, you tell me that a lot." Leo grinned. "But if you don't remember me, that means I can reuse all my old jokes. Come on!"**

**Jason figured that if this was his best friend, his life must be pretty messed up; but he followed Leo into the museum.** "Hey!" Leo pouted. **They walked through the building, stopping here and there for Coach Hedge to lecture them with his megaphone, which alternately made him sound like a Sith Lord or blared out random comments like "The pig says oink."**

**Leo kept pulling out nuts, bolts, and pipe cleaners from the pockets of his army jacket and putting them together, like he had to keep his hands busy at all times.  
**  
Hephaestus smiled at his son proudly.

**Jason was too distracted to pay much attention to the exhibits, but they were about the Grand Canyon and the Hualapai tribe, which owned the museum.**

**Some girls kept looking over at Piper and Dylan and snickering. Jason figured these girls were the popular clique. They wore matching jeans and pink tops and enough makeup for a Halloween party.**

**One of them said, "Hey, Piper, does your tribe run this place? Do you get in free if you do a rain dance?"**

**The other girls laughed. Even Piper's so-called partner Dylan suppressed a smile. Piper's snowboarding jacket sleeves hid her hands, but Jason got the feeling she was clenching her fists.**

**"My dad's Cherokee," she said. "Not Hualapai. 'Course, you'd need a few brain cells to know the difference, Isabel."**

**Isabel widened her eyes in mock surprise, so that she looked like an owl with a makeup addiction.** "Sorry Athena," Jason apologized.** "Oh, sorry! Was your _mom in this tribe? Oh, that's right. You never knew your mom."_**

Aphrodite looked sad. Piper tried giving her a _cheer up, mom _smile, but it didn't work.

**Piper charged her, but before a fight could start, Coach Hedge barked, "Enough back there! Set a good example or I'll break out my baseball bat!"**

**The group shuffled on to the next exhibit, but the girls kept cal ing out little comments to Piper.**

**"Good to be back on the rez?" one asked in a sweet voice.**

**"Dad's probably too drunk to work," another said with fake sympathy. "That's why she turned klepto."**

**Piper ignored them, but Jason was ready to punch them himself. He might not remember Piper, or even who he was, but he knew he hated mean kids.**

**Leo caught his arm. "Be cool. Piper doesn't like us fighting her battles. Besides, if those girls found out the truth about her dad, they'd be al bowing down to her and screaming, 'We're not worthy!'"**

**"Why? What about her dad?"**

**Leo laughed in disbelief. "You're not kidding? You really don't remember that your girlfriend's dad—"**

**"Look, I wish I did, but I don't even remember _her, much less her_ _dad."_**

"Now I know who it is." Jason muttered and Nico suppressed a laugh.

**Leo whistled. "Whatever. We _have to talk when we get back to the dorm."_**

**They reached the far end of the exhibit hall, where some big glass doors led out to a terrace.**

**"All right, cupcakes," Coach Hedge announced. "You are about to see the Grand Canyon. Try not to break it. The sky walk can hold the weight of seventy jumbo jets, so you featherweights should be safe out there. If possible, try to avoid pushing each other over the edge, as that would cause me extra paperwork."**

**The coach opened the doors, and they all stepped outside. The Grand Canyon spread before them, live and in person. Extending over the edge was a horseshoe-shaped walkway made of glass, so you could see right through it.**

**"Man," Leo said. "That's pretty wicked."**

**Jason had to agree. Despite his amnesia and his feeling that he didn't belong there, he couldn't help being impressed. The canyon was bigger and wider than you could appreciate from a picture. They were up so high that birds circled below their feet. Five hundred feet down, a river snaked along the canyon floor. Banks of storm clouds had moved overhead while they'd been inside, casting shadows like angry faces across the cliffs. As far as Jason could see in any direction, red and gray ravines cut through the desert like some crazy god had taken a knife to it. Jason got a piercing pain behind his eyes. _Crazy gods ... Where had he come up with that idea? He felt like he'd gotten close to something important—something he should know about. He also got the unmistakable feeling he was in danger._**

"Crazy god? Sounds like Hera." Annabeth crossed her arms over her chest.

"Correction," Percy chuckled. "Crazy, evil goddess."

"Forgive me." Annabeth laughed.

Hera glared daggers at them and Aphrodite threw her stilettos at Hera. Hera ducked before they touched her.

**"You all right?" Leo asked. "You're not going to throw up over the side, are you? 'Cause I should've brought my camera."**

**Jason grabbed the railing. He was shivering and sweaty, but it had nothing to do with heights. He blinked, and the pain behind his eyes subsided.**

**"I'm fine," he managed. "Just a headache."**

**Thunder rumbled overhead. A cold wind almost knocked him sideways.**

**"This can't be safe." Leo squinted at the clouds. "Storm's right over us, but it's clear all the way around. Weird, huh?"**

**Jason looked up and saw Leo was right. A dark circle of clouds had parked itself over the sky walk, but the rest of the sky in every direction was perfectly clear. Jason had a bad feeling about that.**

**"All right, cupcakes!" Coach Hedge yelled. He frowned at the storm like it bothered him too. "We may have to cut this short, so get to work! ****Remember, complete sentences!" **

The gods chuckled.

**The storm rumbled, and Jason's head began to hurt again. Not knowing why he did it, he reached into his jeans pocket and brought out a coin—a circle of gold the size of a half-dollar, but thicker and more uneven. Stamped on one side was a picture of a battle-ax. On the other was some guy's face wreathed in laurels. The inscription said something like ivlivs.**

**"Dang, is that gold?" Leo asked. "You been holding out on me!"**

**Jason put the coin away, wondering how he'd come to have it, and why he had the feeling he was going to need it soon.**

**"It's nothing," he said. "Just a coin."**

**Leo shrugged. Maybe his mind had to keep moving as much as his hands. "Come on," he said. "Dare you to spit over the edge."**

**They didn't try very hard on the worksheet. For one thing, Jason was too distracted by the storm and his own mixed-up feelings. For another thing, he didn't have any idea how to "name three sedimentary strata you observe" or "describe two examples of erosion."**

**Leo was no help. He was too busy building a helicopter out of pipe cleaners.**

**"Check it out." He launched the copter. Jason figured it would plummet, but the pipe-cleaner blades actually spun. The little copter made it halfway across the canyon before it lost momentum and spiraled into the void.**

**"How'd you do that?" Jason asked. **

"Just part of being a child of Hephaestus."

**Leo shrugged. "Would've been cooler if I had some rubber bands."**

**"Seriously," Jason said, "are we friends?"**

**"Last I checked."**

**"You sure? What was the first day we met? What did we talk about?"**

**"It was …" Leo frowned. "I don't recall exactly. I'm ADHD, man. You can't expect me to remember details."**

**"But I don't remember you _at all. I don't remember anyone here. What if—"_**

**"You're right and everyone else is wrong?" Leo asked. "You think you just appeared here this morning, and we've all got fake memories of you?" **

**A little voice in Jason's head said, _That's exactly what I think._**

"And that's exactly what happened." Hazel mentioned.

"What do you mean?" Zeus looked at them suspiciously.

"Nothing! Keep reading." Percy motioned for Hades to hurry up.

**But it sounded crazy. Everybody here took him for granted. Everyone acted like he was a normal part of the class—except for Coach Hedge.**

**"Take the worksheet." Jason handed Leo the paper. "I'll be right back."**

**Before Leo could protest, Jason headed across the sky walk.**

**Their school group had the place to themselves. Maybe it was too early in the day for tourists, or maybe the weird weather had scared them off. The Wilderness School kids had spread out in pairs across the sky walk. Most were joking around or talking. Some of the guys were dropping pennies over the side. About fifty feet away, Piper was trying to fill out her worksheet, but her stupid partner Dylan was hitting on her, putting his hand on her shoulder and giving her that blinding white smile. She kept pushing him away, and when she saw Jason she gave him a look like, _Throttle this guy for me. Jason motioned for her to hang on. He walked up to Coach Hedge, who was leaning on his baseball bat, studying the storm clouds._**

**"Did you do this?" the coach asked him.**

**Jason took a step back. "Do what?" It sounded like the coach had just asked if he'd made the thunderstorm. Coach Hedge glared at him, his beady little eyes glinting under the brim of his cap. "Don't play games with me, kid. What are you doing here, and why are you messing up my job?"**

**"You mean...you _don't know me?" Jason said. "I'm not one of your students?"_**

**Hedge snorted. "Never seen you before today."**

**Jason was so relieved he almost wanted to cry. At least he wasn't going insane. He _was in the wrong place. "Look, sir, I don't know how I got here. I just woke up on the school bus. All I know is I'm not supposed to be here."_**

**"Got that right." Hedge's gruff voice dropped to a murmur, like he was sharing a secret. "You got a powerful way with the Mist, kid, if you can make all these people think they know you; but you can't fool me. I've been smelling monster for days now. I knew we had an infiltrator, but you don't smell like a monster. You smell like a half-blood. So—who are you, and where'd you come from?" **

"That's weird." Frank's eyebrows narrowed, kind of like he was thinking about something.

**Most of what the coach said didn't make sense, but Jason decided to answer honestly. "I don't know who I am. I don't have any memories. You've got to help me."**

**Coach Hedge studied his face like was trying to read Jason's thoughts.**

**"Great," Hedge muttered. "You're being truthful." **

"Well, duh." Nico faced palmed.

**"Of course I am! And what was all that about monsters and half-bloods? Are those code words or something?"**

**Hedge narrowed his eyes. Part of Jason wondered if the guy was just nuts. But the other part knew better.**

**"Look, kid," Hedge said, "I don't know who you are. I just know _what you are, and it means trouble. Now I got to protect three of you rather than two. Are you the special package? Is that it?"_**

**"What are you talking about?"**

**Hedge looked at the storm. The clouds were getting thicker and darker, hovering right over the sky walk.**

**"This morning," Hedge said, "I got a message from camp. They said an extraction team is on the way. They're coming to pick up a special package, but they wouldn't give me details. I thought to myself, Fine. The two I'm watching are pretty powerful, older than most. I know they're being stalked. I can smell a monster in the group. I figure that's why the camp is suddenly frantic to pick them up. But then _you pop up out of nowhere. So, are you the special package?"_**

**The pain behind Jason's eyes got worse than ever. _Half-bloods. Camp. Monsters. He still didn't know what Hedge was talking about, but the words gave him a massive brain freeze—like his mind was trying to access information that should've been there but wasn't. He stumbled, and Coach Hedge caught him. For a short guy, the coach had hands like steel. "Whoa, there, cupcake. You say you got no memories, huh? Fine. I'l just have to watch you, too, until the team gets here. We'l let the director figure things out."_**

**"What director?" Jason said. "What camp?"**

**"Just sit tight. Reinforcements should be here soon. Hopefully nothing happens before—"**

**Lightning crackled overhead. The wind picked up with a vengeance. Worksheets flew into the Grand Canyon, and the entire bridge shuddered. Kids screamed, stumbling and grabbing the rails.**

**"I had to say something," Hedge grumbled. He bellowed into his megaphone: "Everyone inside! The cow says moo! Off the sky walk!"**

**"I thought you said this thing was stable!" Jason shouted over the wind.**

**"Under normal circumstances," Hedge agreed, "which these aren't. Come on!" **

"Done," Hades closed the book and chucked it at Zeus.

"Now, I know you!" Hera exclaimed.

The demigods' eyes narrowed at her and she turned her head away.

"Can someone fill us in?" Hermes asked.

"No!" The demigods' plus Hera shouted.

"Fine." Hermes pouted.


	2. Chapter 2

"You can read." Zeus smiled at Apollo and chucked it at him.

"But I don't want to!" Apollo wined.

"No one cares. Now read!" Zeus boomed.

Apollo stopped arguing and started chapter two.

**THE STORM CHURNED INTO A MINIATURE HURRICANE.** **Funnel clouds snaked toward the skywalk like the tendrils of a monster jellyfish. Kids screamed and ran for the building. The wind snatched away their notebooks, jackets, hats, and backpacks. Jason skidded across the slick floor.**

**Leo lost his balance and almost toppled over the railing, but Jason grabbed his jacket and pulled him back.**

**"Thanks, man!" Leo yelled.**

**"Go, go, go!" said Coach Hedge.**

**Piper and Dylan were holding the doors open, herding the other kids inside. Piper's snowboarding jacket was flapping wildly, her dark hair all in her face. Jason thought she must've been freezing, but she looked calm and confident—telling the others it would be okay, encouraging them to keep moving. Jason, Leo, and Coach Hedge ran toward them, but it was like running through quicksand. The wind seemed to fight them, pushing them back. Dylan and Piper pushed one more kid inside, then lost their grip on the doors. They slammed shut, closing off the skywalk. Piper tugged at the handles. Inside, the kids pounded on the glass, but the doors seemed to be stuck.**

**"Dylan, help!" Piper shouted.**

**Dylan just stood there with an idiotic grin, his Cowboys jersey rippling in the wind, like he was suddenly enjoying the storm.**

**"Sorry, Piper," he said. "I'm done helping."**

**He flicked his wrist, and Piper flew backward, slamming into the doors and sliding to the skywalk deck. **

"He's evil?" Hades asked.

"Duh." Nico rolled his eyes at his father.

**"Piper!" Jason tried to charge forward, but the wind was against him, and Coach Hedge pushed him back.**

**"Coach," Jason said, "let me go!"**

**"Jason, Leo, stay behind me," the coach ordered. "This is my fight. I should've known that was our monster."**

**"What?" Leo demanded. A rogue worksheet slapped him in the face, but he swatted it away. "What monster?"**

**The coach's cap blew off, and sticking up above his curly hair were two bumps—like the knots cartoon characters get when they're bonked on the head. Coach Hedge lifted his baseball bat—but it wasn't a regular bat anymore. Somehow it had changed into a crudely shaped tree-branch club, with twigs and leaves still attached.**

**Dylan gave him that psycho happy smile. "Oh, come on, _Coach_. Let the boy attack me! After all , you're getting too old for this. Isn't that why they _retired _you to this stupid school? I've been on your team the entire season, and you didn't even know. You're losing your nose, grandpa."**

**The coach made an angry sound like an animal bleating. "That's it, cupcake. You're going down."**

**"You think you can protect three half-bloods at once, old man?" Dylan laughed. "Good luck."**

**Dylan pointed at Leo, and a funnel cloud materialized around him. Leo flew off the skywalk like he'd been tossed. Somehow he managed to twist in midair, and slammed sideways into the canyon wal . He skidded, clawing furiously for any handhold. Finally he grabbed a thin ledge about fifty feet below the skywalk and hung there by his fingertips.**

**"Help!" he yelled up at them. "Rope, please? Bungee cord? Something?"**

**Coach Hedge cursed and tossed Jason his club. "I don't know who you are, kid, but I hope you're good. Keep that _thing _busy"—he stabbed a thumb at Dylan—"while I get Leo."**

**"Get him how?" Jason demanded. "You going to fly?"**

**"Not fly. Climb." Hedge kicked off his shoes, and Jason almost had a coronary. The coach didn't have any feet. He had hooves—goat's hooves. Which meant those things on his head, Jason realized, weren't bumps. They were horns.**

**"You're a faun," Jason said. **

"You're Roman!" Athena gasped.

"Shhh!" Leo hushed her. "You spoiled the best part!"

Everyone laughed except Athena and Apollo continued.

**_"Satyr!" _Hedge snapped. "Fauns are Roman. But we'll talk about that later."**

**Hedge leaped over the railing. He sailed toward the canyon wall and hit hooves first. He bounded down the cliff with impossible agility, finding footholds no bigger than postage stamps, dodging whirlwinds that tried to attack him as he picked his way toward Leo.**

**"Isn't that cute!" Dylan turned toward Jason. "Now it's your turn, boy."**

**Jason threw the club. It seemed useless with the winds so strong, but the club flew right at Dylan, even curving when he tried to dodge, and smacked him on the head so hard he fel to his knees.**

**Piper wasn't as dazed as she appeared. Her fingers closed around the club when it rolled next to her, but before she could use it, Dylan rose. Blood ****— _golden _blood—trickled from his forehead.**

**"Nice try, boy." He glared at Jason. "But you'll have to do better." **

"Better," Jason scoffed. "I beat you."

"Stop talking to the book." Hestia told him politely.

"Do butterflies taste like butter?" Apollo asked.

"How did you even think of that?" Everyone looked at him weirdly.

"I-I don't know."

**The skywalk shuddered. Hairline fractures appeared in the glass. Inside the museum, kids stopped banging on the doors. They backed away, watching in terror.**

**Dylan's body dissolved into smoke, as if his molecules were coming unglued. He had the same face, the same brilliant white smile, but his whole form was suddenly composed of swirling black vapor, his eyes like electrical sparks in a living storm cloud. He sprouted black smoky wings and rose above the skywalk. If angels could be evil, Jason decided, they would look exactly like this.**

**"You're a _ventus_," Jason said, though he had no idea how he knew that word. "A storm spirit."**

**Dylan's laugh sounded like a tornado tearing off a roof. "I'm glad I waited, demigod. Leo and Piper I've known about for weeks. Could've killed them at any time. But my mistress said a third was coming—someone special. She'l reward me greatly for your death!"**

**Two more funnel clouds touched down on either side of Dylan and turned into _venti_—ghostly young men with smoky wings and eyes that flickered with lightning.**

**Piper stayed down, pretending to be dazed, her hand still gripping the club. Her face was pale, but she gave Jason a determined look, and he understood the message: _Keep their attention. I'll brain them from behind._**

**Cute, smart, _and _violent. Jason wished he remembered having her as a girlfriend. **

"Awww!" Aphrodite squealed.

**He clenched his fists and got ready to charge, but he never got a chance.**

**Dylan raised his hand, arcs of electricity running between his fingers, and blasted Jason in the chest. _Bang! _Jason found himself flat on his back. His mouth tasted like burning aluminum foil. He lifted his head and saw that his clothes were smoking. The lightning bolt had gone straight though his body and blasted off his left shoe. His toes were black with soot. The storm spirits were laughing. The winds raged. Piper was screaming defiantly, but it all sounded tinny and far away. Out of the corner of his eye, Jason saw Coach Hedge climbing the cliff with Leo on his back. Piper was on her feet, desperately swinging the club to fend off the two extra storm spirits, but they were just toying with her. The club went right through their bodies like they weren't there. And Dylan, a dark and winged tornado with eyes, loomed over Jason.**

**"Stop," Jason croaked.** "Are you a raven?" Apollo asked going over to examine Jason. "I-I don't think so."** He rose unsteadily to his feet, and he wasn't sure who was more surprised: him, or the storm spirits.**

**"How are you alive?" Dylan's form flickered. "That was enough lightning to kill twenty men!"**

**"My turn," Jason said.**

**He reached in his pocket and pulled out the gold coin. He let his instincts take over, flipping the coin in the air like he'd done it a thousand times. He caught it in his palm, and suddenly he was holding a sword—a wickedly sharp double-edged weapon. The ridged grip fit his fingers perfectly, and the whole thing was gold—hilt, handle, and blade. **

"Reminds me of Chrysaor." Percy looked thoughtful.

"You. Met. Chrysaor?" Poseidon's eyes widened.

"Never said that." The demigods' sang.

**Dylan snarled and backed up. He looked at his two comrades and yelled, "Well? Kill him!"**

**The other storm spirits didn't look happy with that order, but they flew at Jason, their fingers crackling with electricity. Jason swung at the first spirit. His blade passed through it, and the creature's smoky form disintegrated. The second spirit let loose a bolt of lightning, but Jason's blade absorbed the charge. Jason stepped in—one quick thrust, and the second storm spirit dissolved into gold powder. Dylan wailed in outrage. He looked down as if expecting his comrades to re-form, but their gold dust remains dispersed in the wind. "Impossible! ****Who _are_ you, half-blood?"**

**Piper was so stunned she dropped her club. "Jason, how … ?"**

**Then Coach Hedge leaped back onto the skywalk and dumped Leo like a sack of flour.**

**"Spirits, fear me!" Hedge bellowed, flexing his short arms. Then he looked around and realized there was only Dylan.**

**"Curse it, boy!" he snapped at Jason. "Didn't you leave some for me? I like a challenge!"**

**Leo got to his feet, breathing hard. He looked completely humiliated, his hands bleeding from clawing at the rocks. "Yo, Coach Supergoat, whatever you are—I just fell down the freaking Grand Canyon! Stop asking for challenges!"**

**Dylan hissed at them, but Jason could see fear in his eyes. "You have no idea how many enemies you've awakened, half-bloods. My mistress will destroy _all _demigods. This war you _cannot _win." **

The demigods looked sad realizing that she's probably already won.

"She didn't win yet. Your blood wasn't spilled." Piper tried to cheer them up.

"So? Some thing worse happened." Percy and Annabeth held each other's hand tightly trying to not cry.

"What are you eight talking about?" Artemis wondered aloud.

"Nothing." Annabeth said quickly, wiping her eyes.

Athena didn't say anything. She realized this probably had something to do with the Mark of Athena.

**Above them, the storm exploded into a full -force gale. Cracks expanded in the skywalk. Sheets of rain poured down, and Jason had to crouch to keep his balance.**

**A hole opened in the clouds—a swirling vortex of black and silver.**

**"The mistress calls me back!" Dylan shouted with glee. "And you, demigod, will come with me!" **

"Mistress probably wants to kill you now." Hermes laughed and the Olympians scolded him.

**He lunged at Jason, but Piper tackled the monster from behind. Even though he was made of smoke, Piper somehow managed to connect. Both of them went sprawling. Leo, Jason, and the coach surged forward to help, but the spirit screamed with rage. He let loose a torrent that knocked them all backward. Jason and Coach Hedge landed on their butts. Jason's sword skidded across the glass. Leo hit the back of his head and curled on his side, dazed and groaning. Piper got the worst of it. She was thrown off Dylan's back and hit the railing, tumbling over the side until she was hanging by one hand over the abyss.**

**Jason started toward her, but Dylan screamed, "I'll settle for this one!"**

**He grabbed Leo's arm and began to rise, towing a half-conscious Leo below him. The storm spun faster, pulling them upward like a vacuum cleaner. **

"Help me!" Leo screamed.

"You're not the one being attacked." Jason shook his head.

"Yes, I am!" Leo screamed again and everyone looked over at him.

Dionysus was throwing wine at him.

"Dionysus!" Zeus chuckled.

"What? These brats are annoying."

**"Help!" Piper yelled. "Somebody!"**

**Then she slipped, screaming as she fell.**

**"Jason, go!" Hedge yelled. "Save her!"**

**The coach launched himself at the spirit with some serious goat fu—lashing out with his hooves, knocking Leo free from the spirit's grasp. Leo dropped safely to the floor, but Dylan grappled the coach's arms instead. Hedge tried to head-butt him, then kicked him and cal ed him a cupcake. They rose into the air, gaining speed.**

**Coach Hedge shouted down once more, "Save her! I got this!" Then the satyr and the storm spirit spiraled into the clouds and disappeared. _Save her? _Jason thought. _She's gone!_**

**But again his instincts won. He ran to the railing, thinking, _I'm a lunatic, _and jumped over the side. Jason wasn't scared of heights. He was scared of being smashed against the canyon floor five hundred feet below. He figured he hadn't accomplished anything except for dying along with Piper, but he tucked in his arms and plummeted headfirst. The sides of the canyon raced past like a film on fast forward His face felt like it was peeling off. In a heartbeat, he caught up with Piper, who was flailing wildly. He tackled her waist and closed his eyes, waiting for death. Piper screamed. The wind whistled in Jason's ears. He wondered what dying would feel like. He was thinking, probably not so good. He wished somehow they could never hit bottom.**

**Suddenly the wind died. Piper's scream turned into a strangled gasp. Jason thought they must be dead, but he hadn't felt any impact.**

**"J-J-Jason," Piper managed. **

"I can fly!" Jason laughed joyfully.

Everyone looked at him weirdly and Apollo continued.

**He opened his eyes. They weren't falling. They were floating in midair, a hundred feet above the river. He hugged Piper tight, and she repositioned herself so she was hugging him too. They were nose to nose. Her heart beat so hard, Jason could feel it through her clothes.**

**Her breath smelled like cinnamon. She said, "How did you—"**

**"I didn't," he said. "I think I would know if I could fly…"**

**But then he thought: _I don't even know who I am._**

**He imagined going up. Piper yelped as they shot a few feet higher. They weren't exactly floating, Jason decided. He could feel pressure under his feet like they were balancing at the top of a geyser.**

**"The air is supporting us," he said.**

**"Well, tell it to support us more! Get us out of here!"**

**Jason looked down. The easiest thing would be to sink gently to the canyon floor. Then he looked up. The rain had stopped. The storm clouds didn't seem as bad, but they were still rumbling and flashing. There was no guarantee the spirits were gone for good. He had no idea what had happened to Coach Hedge. And he'd left Leo up there, barely conscious.**

**"We have to help them," Piper said, as if reading his thoughts. "Can you—"**

**"Let's see." Jason thought _Up_, and instantly they shot skyward. **

"That was awesome but scary." Piper said, remember that day.

**The fact he was riding the winds might've been cool under different circumstances, but he was too much in shock. As soon as they landed on the skywalk, they ran to Leo.**

**Piper turned Leo over, and he groaned. His army coat was soaked from the rain. His curly hair glittered gold from rolling around in monster dust. But at least he wasn't dead.**

**"Stupid … ugly … goat," he muttered.**

**"Where did he go?" Piper asked.**

**Leo pointed straight up. "Never came down. Please tell me he didn't actually save my life." **

"Trying to save him was the hard part." Leo muttered. "Festus." Leo smiled sadly, wishing that Festus was here.

**"Twice," Jason said.**

**Leo groaned even louder. "What happened? The tornado guy, the gold sword … I hit my head. That's it, right? I'm hallucinating?"**

**Jason had forgotten about the sword. He walked over to where it was lying and picked it up. The blade was well balanced. On a hunch he flipped it. Midspin, the sword shrank back into a coin and landed in his palm.**

**"Yep," Leo said. "Definitely hallucinating."**

**Piper shivered in her rain-soaked clothes. "Jason, those things—"**

**_"Venti," _he said. "Storm spirits."**

**"Okay. You acted like … like you'd seen them before. Who _are_ you?" **

"Gaea's spawn!" Jason was the only one who laughed at this until Percy joined in with Piper.

"What're you guys laughing about?" Annabeth asked.

Percy whispered something in her ear and told her to pass it on. Soon all of the demigods were laughing while the gods sat there, clueless.

**He shook his head. "That's what I've been trying to tell you. I don't know."**

**The storm dissipated. The other kids from the Wilderness School were staring out the glass doors in horror. Security guards were working on the locks now, but they didn't seem to be having any luck.**

**"Coach Hedge said he had to protect three people," Jason remembered. "I think he meant us."**

**"And that thing Dylan turned into …" Piper shuddered. "God, I can't believe it was _hitting _on me. He called us... what, _demigods_?"**

**Leo lay on his back, staring at the sky. He didn't seem anxious to get up. "Don't know what _demi _means," he said. "But I'm not feeling too godly. You guys feeling godly?" **

"Yep." The gods said proudly and the demigods rolled their eyes.

**There was a brittle sound like dry twigs snapping, and the cracks in the skywalk began to widen.**

**"We need to get off this thing," Jason said. "Maybe if we—"**

**"Ohhh-kay," Leo interrupted. "Look up there and tel me if those are flying horses."**

**At first Jason thought Leo _had _hit his head too hard. Then he saw a dark shape descending from the east—too slow for a plane, too large for a bird. As it got closer he could see a pair of winged animals—gray, four-legged, exactly like horses—except each one had a twenty-foot wingspan. And they were pulling a brightly painted box with two wheels: a chariot.**

**"Reinforcements," he said. "Hedge told me an extraction squad was coming for us."**

**"Extraction squad?" Leo struggled to his feet. "That sounds painful."**

**"And where are they extracting us _to_?" Piper asked. **

**Jason watched as the chariot landed on the far end of the skywalk. The flying horses tucked in their wings and cantered nervously across the glass, as if they sensed it was near breaking. Two teenagers stood in the chariot—a tall blond girl maybe a little older than Jason, and a bulky dude with a shaved head and a face like a pile of bricks. They both wore jeans and orange T-shirts, with shields tossed over their backs. The girl leaped off before the chariot had even finished moving. She pulled a knife and ran toward Jason's group while the bulky dude was reining in the horses.**

**"Where is he?" the girl demanded. Her gray eyes were fierce and a little startling.**

**"Where's who?" Jason asked.**

**She frowned like his answer was unacceptable. Then she turned to Leo and Piper. "What about Gleeson? Where is your protector, Gleeson Hedge?"**

**The coach's first name was Gleeson? Jason might've laughed if the morning hadn't been quite so weird and scary. Gleeson Hedge: football coach, goat man, protector of demigods. Sure. Why not?**

**Leo cleared his throat. "He got taken by some … tornado things."**

**_"Venti," _Jason said. "Storm spirits." **

"Anemoi thuellai." Annabeth and Athena muttered.

**The blond girl arched an eyebrow. "You mean _anemoi thuellai_? That's the Greek term. Who are you, and what happened?"**

**Jason did his best to explain, though it was hard to meet those intense gray eyes. About halfway through the story, the other guy from the chariot came over. He stood there glaring at them, his arms crossed. He had a tattoo of a rainbow on his biceps, which seemed a little unusual. When Jason had finished his story, the blond girl didn't look satisfied. "No, no, no! She _told _me he would be here. She told me if I came here, I'd find the answer."**

**"Annabeth," the bald guy grunted. "Check it out." He pointed at Jason's feet.**

**Jason hadn't thought much about it, but he was still missing his left shoe, which had been blown off by the lightning. His bare foot felt okay, but it looked like a lump of charcoal.**

**"The guy with one shoe," said the bald dude. "He's the answer." **

"Didn't help much." Annabeth crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm right here. We're together again." Percy whispered.

Aphrodite squealed, being the only one who heard them.

**"No, Butch," the girl insisted. "He can't be. I was tricked." She glared at the sky as though it had done something wrong. "What do you want from me?" **

"Your life." Nico laughed evilly.

**she screamed. "What have you done with him?"**

**The skywalk shuddered, and the horses whinnied urgently.**

**"Annabeth," said the bald dude, Butch, "we gotta leave. Let's get these three to camp and figure it out there. Those storm spirits might come back."**

**She fumed for a moment. "Fine." She fixed Jason with a resentful look. "We'll settle this later."**

**She turned on her heel and marched toward the chariot.**

**Piper shook her head. "What's _her _problem? What's going on?" **

"Sorry, Annabeth." Piper apologized.

**"Seriously," Leo agreed.**

**"We have to get you out of here," Butch said. "I'll explain on the way."**

**"I'm not going anywhere with _her_." Jason gestured toward the blonde. "She looks like she wants to kill me." **

Percy chuckled.

**Butch hesitated. "Annabeth's okay. You gotta cut her some slack. She had a vision telling her to come here, to find a guy with one shoe. That was supposed to be the answer to her problem."**

**"What problem?" Piper asked.**

**"She's been looking for one of our campers, who's been missing three days," Butch said. "She's going out of her mind with worry. She hoped he'd be here."**

**"Who?" Jason asked.**

**"Her boyfriend," Butch said. "A guy named Percy Jackson." **

"Done." Apollo book marked the chapter and chucked it at Poseidon.

"_What?_" Poseidon hissed. "What is Butch talking about?"

"It'll all be explained, but I was going crazy. Oh, and yes Jason. I did want to kill you." Annabeth smiled sweetly at Jason and everyone laughed.


	3. Chapter 3

**There is a huge hurricane coming, so my power will be knocked out for a while. This may be the last chapter I do for several days. Hopefully I'll do three more chapters...**

* * *

"I'll read." Athena volunteered.

"Fine by me." Poseidon threw the book to Athena and she began, cutting off any questions that anyone had.

**AFTER A MORNING OF STORM SPIRIT'S, goat men, and flying boyfriends, Piper should've been losing her mind. Instead, all she felt was dread. It's starting, she thought. Just like the dream said.**

**She stood in back of the chariot with Leo and Jason, while the bald guy, Butch, handled the reins, and the blond girl, Annabeth, adjusted a bronze navigation device. They rose over the Grand Canyon and headed east, icy wind ripping straight through Piper's jacket. Behind them, more storm clouds were gathering.**

**The chariot lurched and bumped. It had no seat belts and the back was wide open, so Piper wondered if Jason would catch her again if she fell . That had been the most disturbing part of the morning—not that Jason could fly, but that he'd held her in his arms and yet didn't know who she was. All semester she'd worked on a relationship, trying to get Jason to notice her as more than a friend. Finally she'd gotten the big dope to kiss her. The last few weeks had been the best of her life. And then, three nights ago, the dream had ruined everything—that horrible voice, giving her horrible news. She hadn't told anyone about it, not even Jason. **

"We get to hear your thoughts now." Leo and Nico laughed evilly.

Piper got out of her chair and punched both boys in the arm. Percy and Jason snickered and Annabeth punched them. Hazel gave Frank a look of warning so she didn't have to punch him either.

**Now she didn't even have ****_him_****. It was like someone had wiped his memory, and she was stuck in the worst "do over" of all time. She wanted to scream. Jason stood right next to her: those sky blue eyes, close-cropped blond hair, that cute little scar on his upper lip. His face was kind and gentle, but always a little sad. And he just stared at the horizon, not even noticing her.**

**Meanwhile, Leo was being annoying, as usual. "This is so cool!" He spit a pegasus feather out of his mouth. "Where are we going?"**

**"A safe place," Annabeth said. "The ****_only _****safe place for kids like us. Camp Half-Blood." **

"I prefer Camp Jupiter." Frank and Hazel said.

"You've never seen Camp Half-Blood." Percy smiled proudly, remembering Blackjack, Guido, and Porkpie.

**"Half-Blood?" Piper was immediately on guard. She hated that word. She'd been called a half-blood too many times—half Cherokee, half white—and it was never a compliment. "Is that some kind of bad joke?"**

**"She means we're demigods," Jason said. "Half god, half mortal."**

**Annabeth looked back. "You seem to know a lot, Jason. But, yes, demigods. My mom is Athena, goddess of wisdom. Butch here is the son of Iris, the rainbow goddess."**

**Leo choked. "Your mom is a rainbow goddess?"**

**"Got a problem with that?" Butch said.**

**"No, no," Leo said. "Rainbows. Very macho."**

**"Butch is our best equestrian," Annabeth said. "He gets along great with the pegasi."**

**"Rainbows, ponies," Leo muttered.**

**"I'm gonna toss you off this chariot," Butch warned.**

"He should have." The gods agreed.

"Hey!" Leo pouted.

The demigods laughed at him.

**"Demigods," Piper said. "You mean you think you're … you think we're—"**

**Lightning flashed. The chariot shuddered, and Jason yelled, "Left wheel's on fire!"**

**Piper stepped back. Sure enough, the wheel was burning, white flames lapping up the side of the chariot. The wind roared. Piper glanced behind them and saw dark shapes forming in the clouds, more storm spirits spiraling toward the chariot—except these looked more like horses than angels.**

**She started to say, "Why are they—"**

**"****_Anemoi _****come in different shapes," Annabeth said. "Sometimes human, sometimes stallions, depending on how chaotic they are. Hold on. This is going to get rough."**

**Butch flicked the reins. The pegasi put on a burst of speed, and the chariot blurred. Piper's stomach crawled into her throat. Her vision went black, and when it came back to normal, they were in a totally different place.**

**A cold gray ocean stretched out to the left. Snow-covered fields, roads, and forests spread to the right. Directly below them was a green valley, like an island of springtime, rimmed with snowy hills on three sides and water to the north. Piper saw a cluster of buildings like ancient Greek temples, a big blue mansion, ball courts, a lake, and a climbing wall that seemed to be on fire. But before she could really process all she was seeing, their wheels came off and the chariot dropped out of the sky. **

"That was so much fun." Leo looked dazed.

"What the Hades are you talking about? We almost died!" Piper face palmed.

**Annabeth and Butch tried to maintain control. The pegasi labored to hold the chariot in a flight pattern, but they seemed exhausted from their burst of speed, and bearing the chariot and the weight of five people was just too much.**

**"The lake!" Annabeth yelled. "Aim for the lake!"**

**Piper remembered something her dad had once told her, about hitting water from up high being as bad as hitting cement. And then— ****_BOOM_****.**

**The biggest shock was the cold. She was underwater, so disoriented that she didn't know which way was up. She just had time to think: ****_This would be a stupid way to die. _****Then faces appeared in the green murk—girls with long black hair and glowing yellow eyes. They smiled at her, grabbed her shoulders, and hauled her up. **

"They were creepy." Piper shuttered.

"Hey!" Percy and Poseidon complained. "They are not creepy."

"Unless they sit there watching you kiss your girlfriend underwater." Annabeth laughed and pecked Percy's cheek.

"Awwww! So cute!" Aphrodite jumped out of her seat and hugged Percy and Annabeth.

Everyone was on the ground laughing except those enveloped in Aphrodite's grasp.

**They tossed her, gasping and shivering, onto the shore. Nearby, Butch stood in the lake, cutting the wrecked harnesses off the pegasi. Fortunately, the horses looked okay, but they were flapping their wings and splashing water everywhere. Jason, Leo, and Annabeth were already on shore, surrounded by kids giving them blankets and asking questions. Somebody took Piper by the arms and helped her stand. Apparently kids fell into the lake a lot, because a detail of campers ran up with big bronze leaf blower–looking things and blasted Piper with hot air; and in about two seconds her clothes were dry.**

**There were at least twenty campers milling around—the youngest maybe nine, the oldest college age, eighteen or nineteen—and all of them had orange T-shirts like Annabeth's. Piper looked back at the water and saw those strange girls just below the surface, their hair floating in the current. They waved like, ****_toodle-oo_****, and disappeared into the depths. A second later the wreckage of the chariot was tossed from the lake and landed nearby with a wet crunch. **

**"Annabeth!" A guy with a bow and quiver on his back pushed through the crowd. "I said you could ****_borrow _****the chariot, not destroy it!"**

**"Will, I'm sorry," Annabeth sighed. "I'll get it fixed, I promise."**

**Will scowled at his broken chariot. Then he sized up Piper, Leo, and Jason. "These are the ones? Way older than thirteen. Why haven't they been claimed already?"**

**"Claimed?" Leo asked. **

"Because." Hephaestus and Aphrodite grunted.

**Before Annabeth could explain, Will said, "Any sign of Percy?"**

**"No," Annabeth admitted. **

"Nico's seen me." Percy's eyes narrowed and he sent a wave to hit Nico.

"Hey!"

**The campers muttered. Piper had no idea who this guy Percy was, but his disappearance seemed to be a big deal. Another girl stepped forward—tall, Asian, dark hair in ringlets, plenty of jewelry, and perfect makeup. Somehow she managed to make jeans and an orange T-shirt look glamorous. She glanced at Leo, fixed her eyes on Jason like he might be worthy of her attention, then curled her lip at Piper as if she were a week-old burrito that had just been pulled out of a Dumpster. Piper knew this girl's type. She'd dealt with a lot of girls like this at Wilderness School and every other stupid school her father had sent her to. Piper knew instantly they were going to be enemies.**

**"Well," the girl said, "I hope they're worth the trouble."**

**Leo snorted. "Gee, thanks. What are we, your new pets?" **

"I've never liked Drew." Aphrodite informed them.

**"No kidding," Jason said. "How about some answers before you start judging us—like, what is this place, why are we here, how long do we have to stay?" **

Everyone laughed at how Aphrodite's comment fit perfectly with Jason's.

**Piper had the same questions, but a wave of anxiety washed over her. ****_Worth the trouble. _****If they only knew about her dream. They had no idea…**

**"Jason," Annabeth said, "I promise we'll answer your questions. And Drew"—she frowned at the glamour girl—"all demigods are worth saving. But I'll admit, the trip didn't accomplish what I hoped."**

**"Hey," Piper said, "we didn't ask to be brought here."**

**Drew sniffed. "And nobody ****_wants _****you, hon. Does your hair always look like a dead badger?" **

"I wish." Piper muttered and Aphrodite looked shocked.

**Piper stepped forward, ready to smack her, but Annabeth said, "Piper, stop."**

**Piper did. She wasn't a bit scared of Drew, but Annabeth didn't seem like somebody she wanted for an enemy.**

**"We need to make our new arrivals feel welcome," Annabeth said, with another pointed look at Drew. "We'll assign them each a guide, give them a tour of camp. Hopefully by the campfire tonight, they'll be claimed."**

**"Would somebody tel me what ****_claimed _****means?" Piper asked.**

**Suddenly there was a collective gasp. The campers backed away. At first Piper thought she'd done something wrong. Then she realized their faces were bathed in a strange red light, as if someone had lit a torch behind her. She turned and almost forgot how to breathe. Floating over Leo's head was a blazing holographic image —a fiery hammer.**

**"That," Annabeth said, "is claiming." **

Everyone laughed at how ironic it was.

**"What'd I do?" Leo backed toward the lake. Then he glanced up and yelped. "Is my hair on fire?" He ducked, but the symbol fol owed him, bobbing and weaving so it looked like he was trying to write something in flames with his head.**

**"This can't be good," Butch muttered. "The curse—" **

"Isn't real." Percy finished.

"Everyone believes it is." Annabeth sighed.

"So? It shouldn't have been made." Nico pointed out.

"Too late now." Percy shrugged.

**"Butch, shut up," Annabeth said. "Leo, you've just been claimed—"**

**"By a god," Jason interrupted. "That's the symbol of Vulcan, isn't it?"**

**All eyes turned to him.**

**"Jason," Annabeth said carefully, "how did you know that?"**

**"I'm not sure."**

**"Vulcan?" Leo demanded. "I don't even LIKE ****_Star Trek _****. What are you talking about?"**

**"Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaestus," Annabeth said, "the god of blacksmiths and fire."**

**The fiery hammer faded, but Leo kept swatting the air like he was afraid it was fol owing him. "The god of ****_what_****? Who?"**

**Annabeth turned to the guy with the bow. "Will, would you take Leo, give him a tour? Introduce him to his bunk-mates in Cabin Nine."**

**"Sure, Annabeth."**

**"What's Cabin Nine?" Leo asked. "And I'm not a Vulcan!" **

"No, you're not." Hephaestus looked at Jason.

"What? It's not my fault I'm Roman."

**"Come on, Mr. Spock, I'll explain everything." Will put a hand on his shoulder and steered him off toward the cabins. Annabeth turned her attention back to Jason. Usually Piper didn't like it when other girls checked out her boyfriend, but Annabeth didn't seem to care that he was a good-looking guy. She studied him more like he was a complicated blueprint. Finally she said, "Hold out your arm."**

**Piper saw what she was looking at, and her eyes widened.**

**Jason had taken off his windbreaker after his dip in the lake, leaving his arms bare, and on the inside of his right forearm was a tattoo. How had Piper never noticed it before? She'd looked at Jason's arms a million times. The tattoo couldn't have just ****_appeared_****, but it was darkly etched, impossible to miss: a dozen straight lines like a bar code, and over that an eagle with the letters spqr.**

**"I've never seen marks like this," Annabeth said. "Where did you get them?"**

**Jason shook his head. "I'm getting real y tired of saying this, but I don't know."**

**The other campers pushed forward, trying to get a look at Jason's tattoo. The marks seemed to bother them ****_a lot—_**** almost like a declaration of war.**

**"They look burned into your skin," Annabeth noticed. **

"It is and it hurts _a lot_." Percy rubbed his arm.

"That's not my fault." Jason chuckled.

**"They were," Jason said. Then he winced as if his head was aching. "I mean … I think so. I don't remember."**

**No one said anything. It was clear the campers saw Annabeth as the leader. They were waiting for her verdict.**

**"He needs to go straight to Chiron," Annabeth decided. "Drew, would you—"**

**"Absolutely." Drew laced her arm through Jason's. "This way, sweetie. I'll introduce you to our director. He's … an ****_interesting _****guy." She flashed Piper a smug look and led Jason toward the big blue house on the hill. **

"Interesting." Dionysus scoffed. "I'm awesome!"

"Shut up and sit down."

**The crowd began to disperse, until only Annabeth and Piper were left.**

**"Who's Chiron?" Piper asked. "Is Jason in some kind of trouble?"**

**Annabeth hesitated. "Good question, Piper. Come on, I'll give you a tour. We need to talk." **

"Done." Athena closed the book gently.

"He's in a lot of trouble." Annabeth's eyes had an evil tint to them and she took out her dagger.

"Annabeth!" Athena gasped.

"What?" Percy and Annabeth started laughing.

They had planned the little joke after Piper asked if Jason was in trouble.


	4. Chapter 4

Athena smirked and chucked the book at Poseidon's head. "Read!"

"Fine." He fumbled with the book and started reading.

**PIPER SOON REALIZED ANNABETH'S HEART wasn't in the tour. **

"Well, duh. It belongs to me." Everyone looked at Percy. "Well it does."

**She talked about all this amazing stuff the camp offered—magic archery, pegasus riding, the lava wall , fighting monsters —but she showed no excitement, as if her mind were elsewhere. She pointed out the open-air dining pavilion that overlooked Long Island Sound. (Yes, Long Island, New York; they'd traveled ****_that _****far on the chariot.) Annabeth explained how Camp Half-Blood was mostly a summer camp, but some kids stayed here year-round, and they'd added so many campers it was always crowded now, even in winter. **

"It was." Annabeth mumbled.

**Piper wondered who ran the camp, and how they'd known Piper and her friends belonged here.** "We're gods. We know everything." Dionysus said.** She wondered if she'd have to stay full-time, or if she'd be any good at the activities. Could you flunk out of monster fighting? A million questions bubbled in her head, but given Annabeth's mood, she decided to keep quiet. **

"That's my Annabeth." Percy beamed at his girlfriend.

**As they climbed a hill at the edge of camp, Piper turned and got an amazing view of the valley—a big stretch of woods to the northwest, a beautiful beach, the creek, the canoe lake, lush green fields, and the whole layout of the cabins—a bizarre assortment of buildings arranged like a Greek omega, Ω, with a loop of cabins around a central green, and two wings sticking out the bottom on either side. Piper counted twenty cabins in all. One glowed golden, another silver. One had grass on the roof. Another was bright red with barbed wire trenches. One cabin was black with fiery green torches out front.**

**All of it seemed like a different world from the snowy hills and fields outside.**

**"The valley is protected from mortal eyes," Annabeth said. "As you can see, the weather is controlled, too. Each cabin represents a Greek god—a place for that god's children to live."**

**She looked at Piper like she was trying to judge how Piper was handling the news.**

**"You're saying Mom was a goddess."**

**Annabeth nodded. "You're taking this awfully calmly."**

**Piper couldn't tell her why. She couldn't admit that this just confirmed some weird feelings she'd had for years, arguments she'd had with her father about why there were no photos of Mom in the house, and why Dad would never tell her exactly how or why her mom had left them. But mostly, the dream had warned her this was coming. ****_Soon they will find you, demigod, _****that voice had rumbled. ****_When they do, follow our directions. Cooperate, and your _****_father might live._**

"That wasn't Aphrodite though." Nico said and narrowed his eyes, remember what happened last.

"We're right here, Nico. For now." Percy whispered the last part.

"I'm sorry. I didn't expect it to go bad." Hera looked sorry but she wasn't telling the truth. She did expect this.

"Oh shut it, Hera. You don't even know what happened yet." Hera's eyes flared, but Percy ignored her.

"Why can't someone just tell us what is going on?" Athena face palmed.

**Piper took a shaky breath. "I guess after this morning, it's a little easier to believe. So who's my mom?"**

**"We should know soon," Annabeth said. "You're what—fifteen? Gods are supposed to claim you when you're thirteen. That was the deal."**

**"The deal?"**

**"They made a promise last summer … well, long story… but they promised not to ignore their demigod children anymore, to claim them by the time they turn thirteen. Sometimes it takes a little longer, but you saw how fast Leo was claimed once he got here. Should happen for you soon. Tonight at the campfire, I bet we'll get a sign." **

"We got a sign alright." Piper rolled her eyes, never wanting to go through that again.

**Piper wondered if she'd have a big flaming hammer over her head, or with her luck, something even more embarrassing. A flaming wombat, maybe. Whoever her mother was, Piper had no reason to think she'd be proud to claim a kleptomaniac daughter with massive problems. "Why thirteen?"**

**"The older you get," Annabeth said, "the more monsters notice you, try to kill you. 'Round thirteen is usually when it starts. That's why we send protectors into the schools to find you guys, get you to camp before it's too late."**

**"Like Coach Hedge?" **

"No." Dionysus said sarcastically.

"Hey, don't hate!" Leo smiled at him.

**Annabeth nodded. "He's—he was a satyr: half man, half goat. Satyrs work for the camp, finding demigods, protecting them, bringing them in when the time is right."**

**Piper had no trouble believing Coach Hedge was half goat. She'd seen the guy eat. She'd never liked the coach much, but she couldn't believe he'd sacrificed himself to save them.**

**"What happened to him?" she asked. "When we went up into the clouds, did he … is he gone for good?"**

**"Hard to say." Annabeth's expression was pained. "Storm spirits … difficult to battle. Even our best weapons, Celestial bronze, will pass right through them unless you can catch them by surprise."**

**"Jason's sword just turned them to dust," Piper remembered.**

**"He was lucky, then. If you hit a monster just right, you can dissolve them, send their essence back to Tartarus."**

**"Tartarus?" **

"Do you know anything?" Zeus asked.

"Not then." Piper got defensive and Zeus chuckled.

**"A huge abyss in the Underworld, where the worst monsters come from. Kind of like a bottomless pit of evil. Anyway, once monsters dissolve, it usual y takes months, even years before they can re-form again. But since this storm spirit Dylan got away—well, I don't know why he'd keep Hedge alive. Hedge was a protector, though. He knew the risks. Satyrs don't have mortal souls. He'll be reincarnated as a tree or a flower or something." **

"If it's a flower, he'll be picked by a little girl, but then she'll think it's weird because it yelled DIE! and stomp on it." Everyone laughed, some fell to the floor.

**Piper tried to imagine Coach Hedge as a clump of very angry pansies. That made her feel even worse. She gazed at the cabins below, and an uneasy feeling settled over her. Hedge had died to get her here safely. Her mom's cabin was down there somewhere, which meant she had brothers and sisters, more people she'd have to betray. ****_Do what we tell you, _****the voice had said. ****_Or the consequences _****_will be painful. _****She tucked her hands under her arms, trying to stop them from shaking.**

**"It'll be okay," Annabeth promised. "You have friends here. We've all been through a lot of weird stuff. We know what you're going through."**

**I doubt that, Piper thought. **

"Trust us. We have." Percy shook his head, remembering the second Titan war.

**"I've been kicked out of five different schools the past five years," she said. "My dad's running out of places to put me." **

Everyone, except Jason, Leo, and Piper, looked at Percy.

"What? It's not my fault that I blow up the schools I go to."

"I bet it is. I bet that you're a robot." Apollo got up, again, to check out Percy.

"Seriously Apollo?" Artemis rolled her eyes.

**"Only five?" Annabeth didn't sound like she was teasing. "Piper, we've all been labeled troublemakers. I ran away from home when I was seven."**

**"Seriously?" **

"No.'

**"Oh, yeah. Most of us are diagnosed with attention deficit disorder or dyslexia, or both—"**

**"Leo's ADHD," Piper said.**

**"Right. It's because we're hardwired for battle. Restless, impulsive—we don't fit in with regular kids. You should hear how much trouble Percy—" Her face darkened. "Anyway, demigods get a bad rep. How'd you get in trouble?" **

Annabeth looked sad, but Percy reminded her that they were together now.

**Usually when someone asked that question, Piper started a fight, or changed the subject, or caused some kind of distraction. But for some reason she found herself telling the truth. **

"Do you lie a lot?" Hermes asked.

"Well, not really."

**"I steal stuff," she said. "Well, not really ****_steal _****…"**

**"Is your family poor?"**

**Piper laughed bitterly. "Not even. I did it … I don't know why. For attention, I guess. My dad never had time for me unless I got in trouble."**

**Annabeth nodded. "I can relate. But you said you didn't really steal? What do you mean?" **

"Applesauce." Apollo interrupted, but was ignored.

**"Well… nobody ever believes me. The police, teachers—even the people I took stuff from: they're so embarrassed, they'll deny what happened. But the truth is, I don't steal anything. I just ask people for things. And they give me stuff. Even a BMW convertible. I just asked. And the dealer said, 'Sure. Take it.' Later, he realized what he'd done, I guess. Then the police came after me."**

**Piper waited. She was used to people calling her a liar, but when she looked up, Annabeth just nodded.**

**"Interesting. If your ****_dad _****were the god, I'd say you're a child of Hermes, god of thieves. He can be pretty convincing. But your dad is mortal…"**

**"Very," Piper agreed.**

**Annabeth shook her head, apparently mystified. "I don't know, then. With luck, your mom will claim you tonight." **

"Luck." Leo scoffed.

**Piper almost hoped it wouldn't happen. If her mom were a goddess, would she know about that dream? Would she know what Piper had been asked to do? Piper wondered if Olympian gods ever blasted their kids with lightning for being evil, or grounded them in the Underworld. Annabeth was studying her. Piper decided she was going to have to be careful what she said from now on. Annabeth was obviously pretty smart. If anyone could figure out Piper's secret … **

"I could." Annabeth finished Piper's thought.

**"Come on," Annabeth said at last. "There's something else I need to check."**

**They hiked a little farther until they reached a cave near the top of the hill. Bones and old swords littered the ground. Torches flanked the entrance, which was covered in a velvet curtain embroidered with snakes. It looked like the set for some kind of twisted puppet show.**

**"What's in there?" Piper asked.**

**Annabeth poked her head inside, then sighed and closed the curtains. "Nothing, right now. A friend's place. I've been expecting her for a few days, but so far, nothing."**

**"Your friend lives in a cave?"**

**Annabeth almost managed a smile. "Actually, her family has a luxury condo in Queens, and she goes to a finishing school in Connecticut. But when she's here at camp, yeah, she lives in the cave. She's our oracle, tells the future. I was hoping she could help me—"**

**"Find Percy," Piper guessed.**

**Al the energy drained out of Annabeth, like she'd been holding it together for as long as she could. She sat down on a rock, and her expression was so full of pain, Piper felt like a voyeur. **

"It's no fun losing your boyfriend after fighting the freaking Titan war." Annabeth muttered.

**She forced herself to look away. Her eyes drifted to the crest of the hill, where a single pine tree dominated the skyline. Something glittered in its lowest branch—like a fuzzy gold bath mat.**

**No … not a bath mat. It was a sheep's fleece.**

**Okay, Piper thought. Greek camp. They've got a replica of the Golden Fleece. **

"Replica? How dare you." Zeus looked offended. After all it used to be his daughter's tree.

**Then she noticed the base of the tree. At first she thought it was wrapped in a pile of massive purple cables. But the cables had reptilian scales, clawed feet, and a snakelike head with yellow eyes and smoking nostrils.**

**"That's—a dragon," she stammered. "That's the ****_actual _****Golden Fleece?"**

**Annabeth nodded, but it was clear she wasn't really listening. Her shoulders drooped. She rubbed her face and took a shaky breath. "Sorry. A little tired."**

**"You look ready to drop," Piper said. "How long have been searching for your boyfriend?" **

**"Three days, six hours, and about twelve minutes."**

**"And you've got no idea what happened to him?"**

**Annabeth shook her head miserably. "We were so excited because we both started winter break early. We met up at camp on Tuesday, figured we had three weeks together. It was going to be great. Then after the campfire, he—he kissed me good night, went back to his cabin, and in the morning, he was gone. We searched the whole camp. We contacted his mom. We've tried to reach him every way we know how. Nothing. He just disappeared."**

**Piper was thinking: ****_Three days ago. _****The same night she'd had her dream. "How long were you guys together?"**

**"Since August," Annabeth said. "August eighteenth."**

**"Almost exactly when I met Jason," Piper said. "But we've only been together a few weeks."**

**Annabeth winced. "Piper … about that. Maybe you should sit down."**

**Piper knew where this was going. Panic started building inside her, like her lungs were filling with water. "Look, I know Jason thought—he thought he just ****_appeared _****at our school today. But that's not true. I've known him for four months."**

**"Piper," Annabeth said sadly. "It's the Mist."**

**"Missed … what?"**

**"M-i-s-t. It's a kind of veil separating the mortal world from the magic world. Mortal minds—they can't process strange stuff like gods and monsters, so the Mist bends reality. It makes mortals see things in a way they ****_can _****understand —like their eyes might just skip over this valley completely, or they might look at that dragon and see a pile of cables." **

"It wasn't the Mist. It was Hera."

**Piper swallowed. "No. You said yourself I'm not a regular mortal. I'm a demigod."**

**"Even demigods can be affected. I've seen it lots of times. Monsters infiltrate some place like a school, pass themselves off as human, and everyone ****_thinks _****they remember that person. They believe he's always been around. The Mist can change memories, even create memories of things that never happened—"**

**"But Jason's not a monster!" Piper insisted. "He's a human guy, or demigod, or whatever you want to call him. My memories aren't fake. They're ****_so_**** real. The time we set Coach Hedge's pants on fire. The time Jason and I watched a meteor shower on the dorm roof and I finally got the stupid guy to kiss me..."**

**She found herself rambling, telling Annabeth about her whole semester at Wilderness School. She'd liked Jason from the first week they'd met. He was so nice to her, and so patient, he could even put up with hyperactive Leo and his stupid jokes. He'd accepted her for herself and didn't judge her because of the stupid things she'd done. They'd spent hours talking, looking at the stars, and eventually— ****_finally_****—holding hands. All that ****_couldn't_**** be fake. Annabeth pursed her lips. "Piper, your memories are a lot sharper than most. I'll admit that, and I don't know why that is. But if you know him so well—****"**

**"I do!"**

**"Then where is he from?"**

**Piper felt like she'd been hit between the eyes. "He must have told me, but—"**

**"Did you ever notice his tattoo before today? Did he ever tel you anything about his parents, or his friends, or his last school?"**

**"I—I don't know, but—"**

**"Piper, what's his last name?" **

"Grace."

**Her mind went blank. She didn't know Jason's last name. How could that be?**

**She started to cry. She felt like a total fool, but she sat down on the rock next to Annabeth and just fell to pieces. It was too much. Did ****_everything _****that was good in her stupid, miserable life have to be taken away?**

**_Yes, _****the dream had told her. ****_Yes, unless you do exactly what we say._**

**"Hey," Annabeth said. "We'll figure it out. Jason's here now. Who knows? Maybe it'll work out with you guys for real." **

"It did." Jason and Piper smiled at each other.

**Not likely, Piper thought. Not if the dream had told her the truth. But she couldn't say that. She brushed a tear from her cheek. "You brought me up here so no one would see me blubbering, huh?"**

**Annabeth shrugged. "I figured it would be hard for you. I know what it's like to lose your boyfriend."**

**"But I still can't believe … I ****_know _****we had something. And now it's just gone, like he doesn't even recognize me. If he really did just show up today, then why? How'd he get there? Why can't he remember anything?"**

**"Good questions," Annabeth said. "Hopefully Chiron can figure that out. But for now, we need to get you settled. You ready to go back down?" **

"So is it obvious yet about Camp Jupiter?" asked Dionysus, who was reading a wine magazine.

"How do you know about the Roman Camp?"

"We're the ones that wanted to keep you apart." He shrugs.

**Piper gazed at the crazy assortment of cabins in the valley. Her new home, a family who supposedly understood her—but soon they'd be just another bunch of people she'd disappointed, just another place she'd been kicked out of. ****_You'll betray them for us, _****the voice had warned. ****_Or you'll lose _****_everything._**

**She didn't have a choice.**

**"Yeah," she lied. "I'm ready."**

**On the central green, a group of campers was playing basketball. They were incredible shots. Nothing bounced off the rim. Three-pointers went in automatically.**

**"Apollo's cabin," Annabeth explained. "Bunch of showoffs with missile weapons—arrows, basketballs." **

"Hey!" Apollo complained.

"Sorry, Lord Apollo." Annabeth smiled sheepishly.

**They walked past a central fire pit, where two guys were hacking at each other with swords.**

**"Real blades?" Piper noted. "Isn't that dangerous?" **

"Yes." Hephaestus said sarcastically.

**"That's sort of the point," Annabeth said. "Uh, sorry. Bad pun. That's my cabin over there. Number Six." She nodded to a gray building with a carved owl over the door. Through the open doorway, Piper could see bookshelves, weapon displays, and one of those computerized SMART Boards they have in classrooms. Two girls were drawing a map that looked like a battle diagram.**

**"Speaking of blades," Annabeth said, "come here."**

**She led Piper around the side of the cabin, to a big metal shed that looked like it was meant for gardening tools. Annabeth unlocked it, and inside were ****_not _****gardening tools, unless you wanted to make war on your tomato plants. The shed was lined with all sorts of weapons—from swords to spears to clubs like Coach Hedge's. **

"Which I suggest you don't take."

**"Every demigod needs a weapon," Annabeth said. "Hephaestus makes the best, but we have a pretty good selection, too. Athena's all about strategy****—matching the right weapon to the right person. Let's see …"**

**Piper didn't feel much like shopping for deadly objects, but she knew Annabeth was trying to do something nice for her. Annabeth handed her a massive sword, which Piper could hardly lift.**

**"No," they both said at once.**

**Annabeth rummaged a little farther in the shed and brought out something else.**

**"A shotgun?" Piper asked.**

**"Mossberg 500." Annabeth checked the pump action like it was no big deal. "Don't worry. It doesn't hurt humans. It's modified to shoot Celestial bronze, so it only kills monsters." **

"You guys have a better selection then Camp Jupiter." Hazel said and Dionysus smiled smugly.

**"Um, I don't think that's my style," Piper said.**

**"Mmm, yeah," Annabeth agreed. "Too flashy."**

**She put the shotgun back and started poking through a rack of crossbows when something in the corner of the shed caught Piper's eye.**

**"What is that?" she said. "A knife?"**

**Annabeth dug it out and blew the dust off the scabbard. It looked like it hadn't seen the light of day in centuries.**

**"I don't know, Piper." Annabeth sounded uneasy. "I don't think you want this one. Swords are usually better."**

**"You use a knife." Piper pointed to the one strapped to Annabeth's belt. **

"Yeah, but..." Annabeth started but Poseidon continued.

**"Yeah, but …" Annabeth shrugged. "Well, take a look if you want." **

Everyone snickered because both Annabeth's said the same thing.

**The sheath was worn black leather, bound in bronze. Nothing fancy, nothing flashy. The polished wood handle fit beautifully in Piper's hand. When she unsheathed it, she found a triangular blade eighteen inches long—bronze gleaming like it had been polished yesterday. The edges were deadly sharp. Her reflection in the blade caught her by surprise. She looked older, more serious, not as scared as she felt.**

**"It suits you," Annabeth admitted. "That kind of blade is called a parazonium. It was mostly ceremonial, carried by high-ranking officers in the Greek armies. It showed you were a person of power and wealth, but in a fight, it could protect you just fine."**

**"I like it," Piper said. "Why didn't you think it was right?"**

**Annabeth exhaled. "That blade has a long story. Most people would be afraid to claim it. Its first owner … well, things didn't turn out too well for her. Her name was Helen."**

**Piper let that sink in. "Wait, you mean ****_the _****Helen? Helen of Troy?"**

**Annabeth nodded.**

**Suddenly Piper felt like she should be handling the dagger with surgical gloves. "And it's just sitting in your toolshed?"**

**"We're surrounded by Ancient Greek stuff," Annabeth said. "This isn't a museum. Weapons like that—they're meant to be used. They're our heritage as demigods. That was a wedding present from Menelaus, Helen's first husband. She named the dagger Katoptris."**

**"Meaning?" **

"Mirror." Piper shuttered, remembering what Katoptris has showed her.

**"Mirror," Annabeth said. "Looking glass. Probably because that's the only thing Helen used it for. I don't think it's ever seen battle."**

**Piper looked at the blade again. For a moment, her own image stared up at her, but then the reflection changed. She saw flames, and a grotesque face like something carved from bedrock. She heard the same laughter as in her dream. She saw her dad in chains, tied to a post in front of a roaring bonfire.**

**She dropped the blade.**

**"Piper?" Annabeth shouted to the Apol o kids on the court, "Medic! I need some help over here!"**

**"No, it's—it's okay," Piper managed.**

**"You sure?"**

**"Yeah. I just …" She had to control herself. With trembling fingers, she picked up the dagger. "I just got overwhelmed. So much happening today. But**

**… I want to keep the dagger, if that's okay."**

**Annabeth hesitated. Then she waved off the Apollo kids. "Okay, if you're sure. You turned really pale, there. I thought you were having a seizure or something."**

**"I'm fine," Piper promised, though her heart was still racing. "Is there … um, a phone at camp? Can I call my dad?" **

"What are you crazy? Are you trying to get them killed?" Athena fumed.

"Mom, she didn't know. It's okay. I'm going to explain it."

**Annabeth's gray eyes were almost as unnerving as the dagger blade. She seemed to be calculating a mil ion possibilities, trying to read Piper's thoughts.**

**"We aren't all owed phones," she said. "Most demigods, if they use a cell phone, it's like sending up a signal, letting monsters know where you are. But … I've got one." She slipped it out of her pocket. "Kind of against the rules, but if it can be our secret …" **

"Not anymore." Percy snickered and that earned him a smack upside the head.

**Piper took it gratefully, trying not to let her hands shake. She stepped away from Annabeth and turned to face the commons area. She cal ed her dad's private line, even though she knew what would happen. Voice mail. She'd been trying for three days, ever since the dream. Wilderness School only allowed phone privileges once a day, but she'd cal ed every evening, and gotten nowhere. Reluctantly she dialed the other number. Her dad's personal assistant answered immediately. "Mr. McLean's office."**

**"Jane," Piper said, gritting her teeth. "Where's my dad?"**

**Jane was silent for a moment, probably wondering if she could get away with hanging up. "Piper, I thought you weren't supposed to call from school."**

**"Maybe I'm not at school," Piper said. "Maybe I ran away to live among the woodland creatures." **

"Are you saying you're Snow White?" Jason asked.

"Snow White?" Zeus looked at the demigods questioningly.

They just laughed and motioned for Poseidon to keep reading.

**"Mmm." Jane didn't sound concerned. "Well, I'l tel him you cal ed."**

**"Where is he?"**

**"Out."**

**"You don't know, do you?" Piper lowered her voice, hoping Annabeth was too nice to eavesdrop. "When are you going to call the police, Jane? He could be in trouble."**

**"Piper, we are not going to turn this into a media circus. I'm sure he's fine. He does take off occasionally. He always comes back."**

**"So it's true. You ****_don't_**** know—"**

**"I have to go, Piper," Jane snapped. "Enjoy school."**

**The line went dead. Piper cursed. She walked back to Annabeth and handed her the phone.**

**"No luck?" Annabeth asked.**

**Piper didn't answer. She didn't trust herself not to start crying again.**

**Annabeth glanced at the phone display and hesitated. "Your last name is McLean? Sorry, it's not my business. But that sounds really familiar."**

**"Common name."**

**"Yeah, I guess. What does your dad do?"**

**"He's got a degree in the arts," Piper said automatically. "He's a Cherokee artist."**

**Her standard response. Not a lie, just not the whole truth. Most people, when they heard that, figured her dad sold Indian souvenirs at a roadside stand on a reservation. Sitting Bull bobble-heads, wampum necklaces, Big Chief tablets—that kind of thing. **

"Thanks." Annabeth glared at Piper, who smiled sheepishly. "It's not like I would have run around camp telling everyone who he was."

Before Piper could respond, Poseidon continued reading.

**"Oh." Annabeth didn't look convinced, but she put the phone away. "You feeling okay? Want to keep going?"**

**Piper fastened her new dagger to her belt and promised herself that later, when she was alone, she'd figure out how it worked. "Sure," she said. "I want to see everything."**

**All the cabins were cool, but none of them struck Piper as ****_hers_****. No burning signs—wombats or otherwise—appeared over her head. Cabin Eight was entirely silver and glowed like moonlight.**

**"Artemis?" Piper guessed.**

**"You know Greek mythology," Annabeth said.**

**"I did some reading when my dad was working on a project last year."**

**"I thought he did Cherokee art."**

**Piper bit back a curse. "Oh, right. But—you know, he does other stuff too." **

Everyone laughed as Annabeth narrowed her eyes at Piper. _Why am I getting so mad? _Annabeth thought to herself. _It's just because of stress. _

**Piper thought she'd blown it: McLean, Greek mythology. Thankfully, Annabeth didn't seem to make the connection. **

"Are you calling me stupid?"

"No?"

Percy grabbed his girlfriend's waist. "You're just stressed out."

"I know. After this chapter, can we eat dinner?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

**"Anyway," Annabeth continued, "Artemis is goddess of the moon, goddess of hunting. But no campers. Artemis was an eternal maiden, so she doesn't have any kids."**

**"Oh." That kind of bummed Piper out. She'd always liked the stories of Artemis, and figured she would make a cool mom.**

**"Well, there ****_are _****the Hunters of Artemis," Annabeth amended. "They visit sometimes. They're not the children of Artemis, but they're her handmaidens**

**—this band of immortal teenage girls who adventure together and hunt monsters and stuff."**

**Piper perked up. "That sounds cool. They get to be immortal?"**

**"Unless they die in combat, or break their vows. Did I mention they have to swear off boys? No dating—ever. For eternity."**

**"Oh," Piper said. "Never mind."**

**Annabeth laughed. For a moment she looked almost happy, and Piper thought she'd be a cool friend to hang out with in better times. Forget it, Piper reminded herself. You're not going to make any friends here. Not once they find out. They passed the next cabin, Number Ten, which was decorated like a Barbie house with lace curtains, a pink door, and potted carnations in the windows. They walked by the doorway, and the smell of perfume almost made Piper gag.**

**"Gah, is that where supermodels go to die?"**

Aphrodite looked offended at this.

"Sorry, mom."

**Annabeth smirked. "Aphrodite's cabin. Goddess of love. Drew is the head counselor." **

**"Figures," Piper grumbled.**

**"They're not all bad," Annabeth said. "The last head counselor we had was great."**

**"What happened to her?"**

**Annabeth's expression darkened. "We should keep moving."**

**They looked at the other cabins, but Piper just got more depressed. She wondered if she could be the daughter of Demeter, the farming goddess. Then again, Piper killed every plant she ever touched. Athena was cool. Or maybe Hecate, the magic goddess. But it didn't really matter. Even here, where everyone was supposed to find a lost parent, she knew she would still end up the unwanted kid. She was not looking forward to the campfire tonight.**

**"We started with the twelve Olympian gods," Annabeth explained. "Male gods on the left, female on the right. Then last year, we added a whole bunch of new cabins for the other gods who didn't have thrones on Olympus—Hecate, Hades, Iris—"**

**"What are the two big ones on the end?" Piper asked.**

**Annabeth frowned. "Zeus and Hera. King and queen of the gods." **

The demigods rolled their eyes. Zeus was totally confused and Hera just looked sorry.

**Piper headed that way, and Annabeth followed, though she didn't act very excited. The Zeus cabin reminded Piper of a bank. It was white marble with big columns out front and polished bronze doors emblazoned with lightning bolts.**

**Hera's cabin was smaller but done in the same style, except the doors were carved with peacock feather designs, shimmering in different colors. Unlike the other cabins, which were al noisy and open and full of activity, the Zeus and Hera cabins looked closed and silent.**

**"Are they empty?" Piper asked.**

**Annabeth nodded. "Zeus went a long time without having any children. Well, mostly. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, the eldest brothers among the gods**

**—they're called the Big Three. Their kids are really powerful, really dangerous. For the last seventy years or so, they tried to avoid having demigod children." **

"Gee, thanks, Annabeth." Percy smiled at his girlfriend.

**"****_Tried_**** to avoid it?"**

**"Sometimes they … um, cheated. I've got a friend, Thalia Grace, who's the daughter of Zeus. But she gave up camp life and became a Hunter of Artemis. My boyfriend, Percy, he's a son of Poseidon. And there's a kid who shows up sometimes, Nico—son of Hades. Except for them, there are no demigod children of the Big Three gods. At least, not that we know of."**

**"And Hera?" Piper looked at the peacock-decorated doors. The cabin bothered her, though she wasn't sure why.**

**"Goddess of marriage." Annabeth's tone was carefully controlled, like she was trying to avoid cursing. "She doesn't have kids with anyone but Zeus. So, yeah, no demigods. The cabin's just honorary." **

"Honorary my-"

"Annabeth!" Percy scolded.

**"You don't like her," Piper noticed.**

**"We have a long history," Annabeth admitted. "I thought we'd made peace, but when Percy disappeared … I got this weird dream vision from her." **

**"Telling you to come get us," Piper said. "But you thought Percy would be there."**

**"It's probably better I don't talk about it," Annabeth said. "I've got nothing good to say about Hera right now." **

"Great." Hera muttered.

**Piper looked down the base of the doors. "So who goes in here?"**

**"No one. The cabin is just honorary, like I said. No one goes in."**

**"Someone does." Piper pointed at a footprint on the dusty threshold. On instinct, she pushed the doors and they swung open easily. Annabeth stepped back. "Um, Piper, I don't think we should—"**

**"We're supposed to do dangerous stuff, right?" And Piper walked inside. **

Hera's eyes flared but everyone ignored her.

**Hera's cabin was not someplace Piper would want to live. It was as cold as a freezer, with a circle of white columns around a central statue of the goddess, ten feet tall, seated on a throne in flowing golden robes. Piper had always thought of Greek statues as white with blank eyes, but this one was brightly painted so it looked almost human—except huge. Hera's piercing eyes seemed to follow Piper. At the goddess's feet, a fire burned in a bronze brazier. Piper wondered who tended it if the cabin was always empty. A stone hawk sat on Hera's shoulder, and in her hand was a staff topped with a lotus flower. The goddess's hair was done in black plaits. Her face smiled, but the eyes were cold and calculating, as if she were saying: ****_Mother knows best. Now don't cross me or I will have to step on you._**** There was nothing else in the cabin—no beds, no furniture, no bathroom, no windows, nothing that anyone could actual y use to live. For a goddess of home and marriage, Hera's place reminded Piper of a tomb. **

Everyone laughed at this except Hera. Some like Apollo were actually rolling on the floor laughing.

**No, this wasn't her mom. At least Piper was sure of ****_that_****. She hadn't come in here because she felt a ****_good _****connection, but because her sense of dread was stronger here. Her dream—that horrible ultimatum she'd been handed—had something to do with this cabin. She froze. They weren't alone. Behind the statue, at a little altar in the back, stood a figure covered in a black shawl. Only her hands were visible, palms up. She seemed to be chanting something like a spell or a prayer.**

**Annabeth gasped. "Rachel?"**

**The other girl turned. She dropped her shawl, revealing a mane of curly red hair and a freckled face that didn't go with the seriousness of the cabin or the black shawl at al . She looked about seventeen, a total y normal teen in a green blouse and tattered jeans covered with marker doodles. Despite the cold floor, she was barefoot.**

**"Hey!" She ran to give Annabeth a hug. "I'm so sorry! I came as fast as I could."**

**They talked for a few minutes about Annabeth's boyfriend and how there was no news, et cetera, until finally Annabeth remembered Piper, who was standing there feeling uncomfortable.**

**"I'm being rude," Annabeth apologized. "Rachel, this is Piper, one of the half-bloods we rescued today. Piper, this is Rachel Elizabeth Dare, our oracle."**

**"The friend who lives in the cave," Piper guessed.**

**Rachel grinned. "That's me."**

**"So you're an oracle?" Piper asked. "You can tell the future?"**

**"More like the future mugs me from time to time," Rachel said. "I speak prophecies. The oracle's spirit kind of hijacks me every once in a while and speaks important stuff that doesn't make any sense to anybody. But yeah, the prophecies tel the future."**

**"Oh." Piper shifted from foot to foot. "That's cool."**

**Rachel laughed. "Don't worry. Everybody finds it a little creepy. Even me. But usually I'm harmless." **

"Usually." Annabeth muttered.

**"You're a demigod?"**

**"Nope," Rachel said. "Just mortal."**

**"Then what are you …" Piper waved her hand around the room.**

**Rachel's smile faded. She glanced at Annabeth, then back at Piper. "Just a hunch. Something about this cabin and Percy's disappearance. They're connected somehow. I've learned to follow my hunches, especially the last month, since the gods went silent."**

**"Went silent?" Piper asked.**

**Rachel frowned at Annabeth. "You haven't told her yet?"**

**"I was getting to that," Annabeth said. "Piper, for the last month … well, it's normal for the gods not to talk to their children very much, but usually we can count on some messages now and then. Some of us can even visit Olympus. I spent practically all semester at the Empire State Building."**

**"Excuse me?" **

"You newbies are annoying." Dionysus said nonchalantly.

**"The entrance to Mount Olympus these days."**

**"Oh," Piper said. "Sure, why not?"**

**"Annabeth was redesigning Olympus after it was damaged in the Titan War," Rachel explained. "She's an amazing architect. You should see the salad bar—"**

**"Anyway," Annabeth said, "starting about a month ago, Olympus fell silent. The entrance closed, and no one could get in. Nobody knows why. It's like the gods have sealed themselves off. Even my mom won't answer my prayers, and our camp director, Dionysus, was recalled."**

**"Your camp director was the god of … wine?"**

**"Yeah, it's a—"**

**"Long story," Piper guessed. "Right. Go on."**

**"That's it, really," Annabeth said. "Demigods still get claimed, but nothing else. No messages. No visits. No sign the gods are even listening. It's like something has happened —something ****_really _****bad. Then Percy disappeared."**

**"And Jason showed up on our field trip," Piper supplied. "With no memory."**

**"Who's Jason?" Rachel asked.**

**"My—" Piper stopped herself before she could say "boyfriend," but the effort made her chest hurt. "My friend. But Annabeth, you said Hera sent you a dream vision."**

**"Right," Annabeth said. "The first communication from a god in a month, and it's Hera, the least helpful goddess, and she contacts me, her least favorite demigod. She tells me I'll find out what happened to Percy if I go to the Grand Canyon skywalk and look for a guy with one shoe. Instead, I find you guys, and the guy with one shoe is Jason. It doesn't make sense."**

**"Something bad is happening," Rachel agreed. She looked at Piper, and Piper felt an overwhelming desire to tell them about her dream, to confess that ****_she _****knew what was happening—at least part of the story. And the bad stuff was only beginning.**

**"Guys," she said. "I—I need to—"**

**Before she could continue, Rachel's body stiffened. Her eyes began to glow with a greenish light, and she grabbed Piper by the shoulders. Piper tried to back away, but Rachel's hands were like steel clamps.**

**_Free me, _****she said. But it wasn't Rachel's voice. It sounded like an older woman, speaking from somewhere far away, down a long, echoing pipe. ****_Free me, Piper McLean, or the earth shall swallow us. It must be by the solstice._**

**The room started spinning. Annabeth tried to separate Piper from Rachel, but it was no use. Green smoke enveloped them, and Piper was no longer sure if she was awake or dreaming. The giant statue of the goddess seemed to rise from its throne. It leaned over Piper, its eyes boring into her. The statue's mouth opened, its breath like horribly thick perfume. It spoke in the same echoing voice: ****_Our enemies stir. The fiery one is only the first. Bow to _****_his will, and their king shall rise, dooming us all. FREE ME!_**

**Piper's knees buckled, and everything went black. **

"The end." Poseidon closed the book and tossed it to Percy.

"I'm dyslexic remember? And I thought we were going to eat."

Poseidon does something to the book and Percy raises an eyebrow. "It's in Greek."

"Now everyone can read it without trouble. Except maybe Jason."

"Can I just ask about the last head counselor?" Piper asked.

Aphrodite's eyes darkened and Annabeth walked out.

"Was it something I said?"

Nico and Percy ran out after Annabeth. They were the only two that know what happened besides the gods' but the gods' can't really comfort her.

"Annabeth, please stop." Percy pleaded with her.

She did and he took her into his arms. "We were close friends. None of the others would understand if we told them. She was a hero."

"We know that. The gods' know that. The camp knows it too." Nico says.

"They'll just think she was a spy. With everything that's happened I'm surprised I didn't start bawling."

"That would have been bad." Percy commented, smiling.

"Let's go eat lunch." Nico suggests.

"I'm going to eat out here." Annabeth says.

"We'll eat with you." Nico and Percy said in unison.


	5. Chapter 5

**Someone commented saying reported for MST... Seriously? That hurt. If you don't like it. Don't freaking read it. Don't ruin it for everyone else. Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson, any of the characters, or Lost Hero**

* * *

Annabeth, Percy, and Nico had a quiet lunch outside in Demeter's garden while everyone else ate inside. They talked about Camp Half-Blood and then about Tartarus. Nico apologized many times and the couple just smiled and accepted. Artemis was the one who came to get them.

"We're reading now." The three demigods nodded and followed her inside.

Percy picked up the book and began to read and fiddle with Annabeth's hair.

**LEO'S TOUR WAS GOING GREAT UNTIL he learned about the dragon. **

"Festus!" Leo exclaimed happily.

**The archer dude, Will Solace, seemed pretty cool. Everything he showed Leo was so amazing, it should've been illegal. Real Greek warships moored at the beach that sometimes had practice fights with flaming arrows and explosives? Sweet! Arts & crafts sessions where you could make sculptures with chain saws and blowtorches? Leo was like, _Sign me up! The woods were stocked with dangerous monsters, and no one should ever go in there alone? Nice! And the camp was overflowing with fine-looking girls. Leo didn't quite understand the whole related-to-the-gods business, but he hoped that didn't mean he was cousins with all these ladies. That would suck. At the very least, he wanted to check out those underwater girls in the lake again. They were definitely worth drowning for._ **

"No, they aren't. Sure they're nice and pretty, but no. They're not worth drowning for." Percy mentally face palmed.

**Will showed him the cabins, the dining pavilion, and the sword arena.**

**"Do I get a sword?" Leo asked. **

"Nope." Jason said, popping the "p".

**Will glanced at him like he found the idea disturbing. "You'll probably make your own, seeing as how you're in Cabin Nine."**

**"Yeah, what's up with that? Vulcan?" **

Hephaestus looked insulted.

**"Usually we don't call the gods by their Roman names," Will said. "The original names are Greek. Your dad is Hephaestus."**

**"Festus?" Leo had heard somebody say that before, but he was stil dismayed. "Sounds like the god of cowboys." **

Hephaestus face palmed.

**"_He- phaestus," Will corrected. "God of blacksmiths and fire."_**

**Leo had heard that too, but he was trying not to think about it. The god of fire … seriously? Considering what had happened to his mom, that seemed like a sick joke.**

**"So the flaming hammer over my head," Leo said. "Good thing, or bad thing?"**

**Will took a while to answer. "You were claimed almost immediately. That's usually good."**

**"But that Rainbow Pony dude, Butch—he mentioned a curse."**

**"Ah … look, it's nothing. Since Cabin Nine's last head counselor died—" **

Percy had to stop reading and take a deep breathe.

**"Died? Like, painfully?" **

**"I ought to let your bunkmates tell you about it."**

**"Yeah, where _are my home dawgs? Shouldn't their counselor be giving me the VIP tour?"_**

**"He, um, can't. You'll see why." Will forged ahead before Leo could ask anything else.**

**"Curses and death," Leo said to himself. "This just gets better and better."**

**He was halfway across the green when he spotted his old babysitter. And she was _not the kind of person he expected to see at a demigod camp. Leo froze in his tracks._**

**"What's wrong?" Will asked. **

Leo shivered.

**Tía Callida— _Auntie Callida. That's what she'd called herself, but Leo hadn't seen her since he was five years old. She was just standing there, in the shadow of a big white cabin at the end of the green, watching him. She wore her black linen widow's dress, with a black shawl pulled over her hair. Her face hadn't changed—leathery skin, piercing dark eyes. Her withered hands were like claws. She looked ancient, but no different than Leo remembered._**

**"That old lady …" Leo said. "What's she doing here?"**

**Will tried to follow his gaze. "What old lady?" **

Everyone burst out laughing at this part.

"Ha, ha. Very funny." Leo rolled his eyes.

**"Dude, _the old lady. The one in black. How many old ladies do you see over there?"_ **

"Twenty-four." Percy replied to book Leo.

"Dude, you realize you're talking to a book right?"

Percy smiled sheepishly.

**Will frowned. "I think you've had a long day, Leo. The Mist could still be playing tricks on your mind. How about we head straight to your cabin now?"**

**Leo wanted to protest, but when he looked back toward the big white cabin, Tía Callida was gone. He was _sure she'd been there, almost as if thinking about his mom had summoned Callida back from the past._**

**And that wasn't good, because Tía Callida had tried to kil him.**

**"Just messing with you, man." Leo pulled some gears and levers from his pockets and started fiddling with them to calm his nerves. He couldn't have everybody at camp thinking he was crazy. At least, not crazier than he really was.**

**"Let's go see Cabin Nine," he said. "I'm in the mood for a good curse." **

The gods looked at him oddly. He just shrugged.

"What can I say? I was in the mood for a good curse."

"There is no curse." Hephaestus said through clenched teeth.

Aphrodite looked like she was going to burst out crying. Besides Percabeth, Charlena was her second favorite. (What's their ship name?)

**From the outside, the Hephaestus cabin looked like an oversize RV with shiny metal walls and metal-slatted windows. The entrance was like a bank vault door, circular and several feet thick. It opened with lots of brass gears turning and hydraulic pistons blowing smoke. Leo whistled. "They got a steampunk theme going on, huh?" **

"So that's what your cabin looks like." Ares said thoughtfully.

**Inside, the cabin seemed deserted. Steel bunks were folded against the walls like high-tech Murphy beds. Each had a digital control panel, blinking LED lights, glowing gems, and interlocking gears. Leo figured each camper had his own combination lock to release his bed, and there was probably an alcove behind it with storage, maybe some traps to keep out unwanted visitors. At least, that's the way Leo would've designed it. A fire pole came down from the second floor, even though the cabin didn't appear to _have a second floor from the outside. A circular staircase led down into some kind of basement. The walls were lined with every kind of power tool Leo could imagine, plus a huge assortment of knives, swords, and other implements of destruction. A large workbench overflowed with scrap metal—screws, bolts, washers, nails, rivets, and a mil ion other machine parts. Leo had a strong urge to shovel them all into his coat pockets. He loved that kind of stuff. But he'd need a hundred more coats to fit it all . Looking around, he could almost imagine he was back in his mom's machine shop. Not the weapons, maybe—but the tools, the piles of scrap, the smell of grease and metal and hot engines. She would've loved this place._**

"So that's what your cabin looks like." Ares said thoughtfully.

**He pushed that thought away. He didn't like painful memories. _Keep moving— that was his motto. Don't dwell on things. Don't stay in one place too long. It was the only way to stay ahead of the sadness._**

**He picked a long implement from the wall. "A weed whacker? What's the god of fire want with a weed whacker?" **

"To whack my children upside the head."

Leo chuckled nervously.

**A voice in the shadows said, "You'd be surprised."**

**At the back of the room, one of the bunk beds was occupied. A curtain of dark camouflage material retracted, and Leo could see the guy who'd been invisible a second before. It was hard to tell much about him because he was covered in a body cast. His head was wrapped in gauze except for his face, which was puffy and bruised. He looked like the Pillsbury Doughboy after a beat-down. **

"That's not nice." Piper finally said something after being quiet the whole time.

**"I'm Jake Mason," the guy said. "I'd shake your hand, but …"**

**"Yeah," Leo said. "Don't get up."**

**The guy cracked a smile, then winced like it hurt to move his face. Leo wondered what had happened to him, but he was afraid to ask.**

**"Welcome to Cabin Nine," Jake said. "Been almost a year since we had any new kids. I'm head counselor for now."**

**"For now?" Leo asked.**

**Wil Solace cleared his throat. "So where is everybody, Jake?"**

**"Down at the forges," Jake said wistfully. "They're working on … you know, that problem." **

"Festus." Leo said quickly and dragged out the us.

**"Oh." Will changed the subject. "So, you got a spare bed for Leo?"**

**Jake studied Leo, sizing him up. "You believe in curses, Leo? Or ghosts?"**

**I just saw my evil babysitter Tía Callida, Leo thought. She's _got to be dead after all these years. And I can't go a day without remembering my mom in that machine shop fire. Don't talk to me about ghosts, doughboy._**_  
_

**But aloud, he said, "Ghosts? Pfft. Nah. I'm cool. A storm spirit chucked me down the Grand Canyon this morning, but you know, all in a day's work, right?" **

Apollo got up, stood on his chair, and danced.

"What are you doing?" Artemis asked.

"Dancing, as you can see." Dionysus rolled his eyes.

"Well, yes, I can see that, but why?"

Apollo ignored everyone and danced. Soon everyone joined in and danced. They were all laughing when Percy began reading again.

**Jake nodded. "That's good. Because I'll give you the best bed in the cabin—Beckendorf's."**

**"Whoa, Jake," Will said. "You sure?"**

**Jake called out: "Bunk 1-A, please."**

**The whole cabin rumbled. A circular section of the floor spiraled open like a camera lens, and a full-size bed popped up. The bronze frame had a built-in game station at the footboard, a stereo system in the headboard, a glass-door refrigerator mounted into the base, and a whole bunch of control panels running down the side.**

**Leo jumped right in and lay back with arms behind his head. "I can handle this."**

**"It retracts into a private room below," Jake said.**

**"Oh, heck, yes," Leo said. "See y'all. I'll be down in the Leo Cave. Which button do I press?"**

**"Hold on," Will Solace protested. "You guys have private underground rooms?"**

**Jake probably would've smiled if it didn't hurt so much. "We got lots of secrets, Will. You Apollo guys can't have all the fun. Our campers have been excavating the tunnel system under Cabin Nine for almost a century. We still haven't found the end. Anyway, Leo, if you don't mind sleeping in a dead man's bed, it's yours." **

"That's just creepy."

**Suddenly Leo didn't feel like kicking back. He sat up, careful not to touch any of the buttons. "The counselor who died—this was his bed?"**

**"Yeah," Jake said. "Charles Beckendorf." **

Percy and Hephaestus looked sad.

**Leo imagined saw blades coming through the mattress, or maybe a grenade sewn inside the pillows. "He didn't, like, die _in this bed, did he?" _**

**"No," Jake said. "In the Titan War, last summer."**

**"The Titan War," Leo repeated, "which has _nothing to do with this very fine bed?"_ **

"You idiot!" Piper exclaimed.

**"The Titans," Will said, like Leo was an idiot. "The big powerful guys that ruled the world before the gods. They tried to make a comeback last summer. Their leader, Kronos, built a new palace on top of Mount Tam in California. Their armies came to New York and almost destroyed Mount Olympus. A lot of demigods died trying to stop them."**

**"I'm guessing this wasn't on the news?" Leo said.**

**It seemed like a fair question, but Will shook his head in disbelief. "You didn't hear about Mount St. Helen's erupting, or the freak storms across the country, or that building collapsing in St. Louis?"**

**Leo shrugged. Last summer, he'd been on the run from another foster home. Then a truancy officer caught him in New Mexico, and the court sentenced him to the nearest correctional facility—the Wilderness School. "Guess I was busy."**

**"Doesn't matter," Jake said. "You were lucky to miss it. The thing is, Beckendorf was one of the first casualties, and ever since then—"**

**"Your cabin's been cursed," Leo guessed.**

**Jake didn't answer. Then again, the dude was in a body cast. That _was an answer. Leo started noticing little things that he hadn't seen before—an explosion mark on the wall, a stain on the floor that might've been oil … or blood. Broken swords and smashed machines kicked into the corners of the room, maybe out of frustration. The place __did feel unlucky._**

**Jake sighed halfheartedly. "Well, I should get some sleep. I hope you like it here, Leo. It used to be … really nice."**

**He closed his eyes, and the camouflage curtain drew itself across the bed.**

**"Come on, Leo," Will said. "I'll take you to the forges."**

**As they were leaving, Leo looked back at his new bed, and he could almost imagine a dead counselor sitting there—another ghost who wasn't going to leave Leo alone. **

"At least they're together." Percy whispered and chucked the book at Leo.

"They're happy." Annabeth said.

"Very happy." Hades commented. "I've seen them around. They're happy to be together."

"I've even talked to them. Percy, Beckendorf said not to blame yourself." Nico added.

Percy sighed and Annabeth hugged him.


	6. Chapter 6

Leo began reading.

**"HOW DID HE DIE?" LEO ASKED. "I mean Beckendorf."**

**Will Solace trudged ahead. "Explosion. Beckendorf and Percy Jackson blew up a cruise ship full of monsters. Beckendorf didn't make it out." **

Piper, Jason, Leo, Frank, and Hazel looked at Percy. "Ooooh."

**There was that name again—Percy Jackson, Annabeth's missing boyfriend. That guy must've been into everything around here, Leo thought. **

"He was." Dionysus grumbled.

Annabeth looked like she was thinking hard about something. She cupped Percy's face in her hands and kissed him. Aphrodite cooed.

"Ew! I just saw tongue!" Piper made a face, but her little outburst didn't stop them.

A clearing of the throat did. Percy and Annabeth pulled away reluctantly. Annabeth snuggled up against Percy and Leo continued reading.

**"So Beckendorf was pretty popular?" Leo asked. "I mean —before he blew up?"**

**"He was awesome," Will agreed. "It was hard on the whole camp when he died. Jake—he became head counselor in the middle of the war. Same as I did, actually. Jake did his best, but he never wanted to be leader. He just likes building stuff. Then after the war, things started to go wrong. Cabin Nine's chariots blew up. Their automatons went haywire. Their inventions started to malfunction. It was like a curse, and eventually people started calling it that****—the Curse of Cabin Nine. Then Jake had his accident—"**

**"Which had something to do with the problem he mentioned," Leo guessed.**

**"They're working on it," Will said without enthusiasm. "And here we are."**

**The forge looked like a steam-powered locomotive had smashed into the Greek Parthenon and they had fused together. White marble columns lined the soot-stained walls. Chimneys pumped smoke over an elaborate gable carved with a bunch of gods and monsters. The building sat at the edge of a stream, with several waterwheels turning a series of bronze gears. Leo heard machinery grinding inside, fires roaring, and hammers ringing on anvils. They stepped through the doorway, and a dozen guys and girls who'd been working on various projects all froze. The noise died down to the roar of the forge and the _click-click-click _of gears and levers. **

"Click-click-click of gears and levers." Nico mimicked.

Leo shot fire at him and continued reading.

**"'Sup, guys," Will said. "This is your new brother, Leo—um, what's your last name?" **

**"Valdez." Leo looked around at the other campers. Was he really related to all of them? His cousins came from some big families, but he'd always just had his mom—until she died.**

**Kids came up and started shaking hands and introducing themselves. Their names blurred together: Shane, Christopher, Nyssa, Harley (yeah, like the motorcycle). Leo knew he'd never keep everybody straight. Too many of them. Too overwhelming. None of them looked like the others—all different face types, skin tone, hair color, height. You'd never think, _Hey, look, it's the Hephaestus Bunch!_ **

Everyone in the temple laughed. Leo smiled.

**But they all had powerful hands, rough with call uses and stained with engine grease. Even little Harley, who couldn't have been more than eight, looked like he could go six rounds with Chuck Norris without breaking a sweat. **

"I wonder." Apollo started.

"No!" Artemis shouted.

Apollo grinned evilly and looked at Hermes who mimicked the action. That raised everyone's suspicion.

"Apollo! You will not bring Chuck Norris to Camp Half-Blood to fight Harley."

"Why would you even think that?" Hephaestus asked.

Apollo and Hermes shrugged.

**And all the kids shared a sad kind of seriousness. Their shoulders slumped like life had beaten them down pretty hard. Several looked like they'd been physically beaten up, too. Leo counted two arm slings, one pair of crutches, an eye patch, six Ace bandages, and about seven thousand Band-Aids.**

**"Well, all right!" Leo said. "I hear this is the party cabin!"**

**Nobody laughed. They all just stared at him. **

"Tough crowd." Percy laughed.

**Will Solace patted Leo's shoulder. "I'll leave you guys to get acquainted. Somebody show Leo to dinner when it's time?"**

**"I got it," one of the girls said. Nyssa, Leo remembered. She wore camo pants, a tank top that showed off her buff arms, and a red bandanna over a mop of dark hair. Except for the smiley-face Band-Aid on her chin, she looked like one of those female action heroes, like any second she was going to grab a machine gun and start mowing down evil aliens. **

**"Cool," Leo said. "I always wanted a sister who could beat me up." **

"Anyone could beat you up." Frank told him.

Leo's eyes narrowed and he was about to flick some flames at him when he remember the stick. Hazel would probably catch on fire or something. Then he'd die. And it'd be all his fault. No one would ever forgive him.

**Nyssa didn't smile. "Come on, joker boy. I'll show you around."**

**Leo was no stranger to workshops. He'd grown up around grease monkeys and power tools. His mom used to joke that his first pacifier was a lug wrench. But he'd never seen any place like the camp forge.**

**One guy was working on a battle-ax. He kept testing the blade on a slab of concrete. Each time he swung, the ax cut into the slab like it was warm cheese, but the guy looked unsatisfied and went back to honing the edge.**

**"What's he planning to kill with that thing?" Leo asked Nyssa. "A battleship?"**

**"You never know. Even with Celestial bronze—"**

**"That's the metal?"**

**She nodded. "Mined from Mount Olympus itself. Extremely rare. Anyway, it usually disintegrates monsters on contact, but big powerful ones have notoriously tough hides. Drakons, for instances—"**

**"You mean dragons?"**

**"Similar species. You'll learn the difference in monster-fighting class."**

**"Monster-fighting class. Yeah, I already got my black belt in that." **

"I thought I was the only one." Percy joked.

"Nah, I got one, but it's a shame i don't have it."

"Just continue." Zeus sighed.

**She didn't crack a smile. Leo hoped she wasn't this serious all the time. His dad's side of the family had to have _some _sense of humor, right?**

**They passed a couple of guys making a bronze windup toy. At least that's what it looked like. It was a six-inch-tall centaur—half man, half horse****—armed with a miniature bow. One of the campers cranked the centaur's tail, and it whirred to life. It galloped across the table, yelling, "Die, mosquito!****Die, mosquito!" and shooting everything in sight.**

**Apparently this had happened before, because everybody knew to hit the floor except Leo. Six needle-sized arrows embedded themselves in his shirt before a camper grabbed a hammer and smashed the centaur to pieces.**

**"Stupid curse!" The camper waved his hammer at the sky. "I just want a magic bug killer! Is that too much to ask?"**

**"Ouch," Leo said. **

The demigods burst out laughing as well as some of the gods.

**Nyssa pulled the needles out of his shirt. "Ah, you're fine. Let's move on before they rebuild it."**

**Leo rubbed his chest as they walked. "That sort of thing happen a lot?"**

**"Lately," Nyssa said, "everything we build turns to junk."**

**"The curse?"**

**Nyssa frowned. "I don't believe in curses. But _something's _wrong. And if we don't figure out the dragon problem, it's gonna get even worse."**

**"The dragon problem?" Leo hoped she was talking about a miniature dragon, maybe one that killed cockroaches, but he got the feeling he wasn't going to be so lucky.**

**Nyssa took him over to a big wal map that a couple of girls were studying. The map showed the camp—a semicircle of land with Long Island Sound on the north shore, the woods to the west, the cabins to the east, and a ring of hills to the south.**

**"It's got to be in the hills," the first girl said.**

**"We _looked _in the hills," the second argued. "The woods are a better hiding place."**

**"But we already set traps—"**

**"Hold up," Leo said. "You guys lost a dragon? A _real _full-size dragon?" **

"No, we lost a fake small size dragon." Annabeth said sarcastically.

**"It's a bronze dragon," Nyssa said. "But yes, it's a life-size automaton. Hephaestus cabin built it years ago. Then it was lost in the woods until a few summers back, when Beckendorf found it in pieces and rebuilt it. It's been helping protect the camp, but, um, it's a little unpredictable."**

**"Unpredictable," Leo said.**

**"It goes haywire and smashes down cabins, sets people on fire, tries to eat the satyrs."**

**"That's pretty unpredictable."**

**Nyssa nodded. "Beckendorf was the only one who could control it. Then he died, and the dragon just got worse and worse. Finally it went berserk and ran off. Occasionally it shows up, demolishes something, and runs away again. Everyone expects us to find it and destroy it—"**

**"_Destroy _it?" Leo was appalled. "You've got a life-size bronze dragon, and you want to _destroy_ it?" **

"Festus will not be destroyed."

"You may want to rethink that." Jason tried to hold back his laughter.

**"It breathes fire," Nyssa explained. "It's deadly and out of control."**

**"But it's a dragon! Dude, that's so awesome. Can't you try talking to it, controlling it?"**

**"We tried. Jake Mason tried. You saw how well that worked."**

**Leo thought about Jake, wrapped in a body cast, lying alone on his bunk. "Still—"**

**"There's no other option." Nyssa turned to the other girls. "Let's try more traps in the woods—here, here, and here. Bait them with thirty-weight motor oil."**

**"The dragon drinks that?" Leo asked.**

**"Yeah." Nyssa sighed regretfully. "He used to like it with a little Tabasco sauce, right before bed. If he springs a trap, we can come in with acid sprayers—should melt through his hide. Then we get metal cutters and … and finish the job."**

**They all looked sad. Leo realized they didn't want to kill the dragon any more than he did.**

**"Guys," he said. "There has to be another way." **

"You, Repair boy." Piper says.

**Nyssa looked doubtful, but a few other campers stopped what they were working on and drifted over to hear the conversation.**

**"Like what?" one asked. "The thing breathes fire. We can't even get close."**

**Fire, Leo thought. Oh, man, the things he could tell them about fire… But he had to be careful, even if these were his brothers and sisters. _Especially_ if he had to live with them.**

**"Well…" He hesitated. "Hephaestus is the god of fire, right? So don't any of you have like fire resistance or something?" **

"Nope." Hephaestus grins.

"I am fire resistant." Leo says proudly.

"Not in water." Percy shot a pillar of water at him.

**Nobody acted as if it was a crazy question, which was a relief, but Nyssa shook her head gravely.**

**"That's a Cyclops ability, Leo. Demigod children of Hephaestus … we're just good with our hands. We're builders, craftsmen, weapon smiths—stuff like that."**

**Leo's shoulders slumped. "Oh."**

**A guy in back said, "Well, a long _time_ ago—"**

**"Yeah, okay," Nyssa conceded. "A long time ago some children of Hephaestus were born with power over fire. But that ability was very, very rare. And always dangerous. No demigod like that has been born in centuries. The last one …" She looked at one of the other kids for help.**

**"Sixteen sixty-six," the girl offered. "Guy named Thomas Faynor. He started the Great Fire of London, destroyed most of the city."**

**"Right," Nyssa said. "When a child of Hephaestus like that appears, it usually means something catastrophic is about to happen. And we don't need any more catastrophes."**

**Leo tried to keep his face clear of emotion, which wasn't his strong suit. "I guess I see your point. Too bad, though. If you could resist flames, you could get close to the dragon."**

**"Then it would kill you with its claws and fangs," Nyssa said. "Or simply step on you. No, we've got to destroy it. Trust me, if anyone _could_ figure out another answer …"**

**She didn't finish, but Leo got the message. This was the cabin's big test. If they could do something only Beckendorf could do, if they could subdue the dragon without killing it, then maybe their curse would be lifted. But they were stumped for ideas. Any camper who figured out how would be a hero. A conch horn blew in the distance. Campers started putting up their tools and projects. Leo hadn't realized it was getting so late, but he looked through the windows and saw the sun going down. His ADHD did that to him sometimes. If he was bored, a fifty-minute class seemed like six hours. If he was interested in something, like touring a demigod camp, hours slipped away and _bam—_ the day was over. **

"Wow." Hazel nodded her head.

"Are you talking to yourself?" Athena asked.

"What? Oh, no, I don't know."

Poseidon chuckles.

**"Dinner," Nyssa said. "Come on, Leo."**

**"Up at the pavilion, right?" he asked.**

**She nodded.**

**"You guys go ahead," Leo said. "Can you … give me a second?"**

**Nyssa hesitated. Then her expression softened. "Sure. It's a lot to process. I remember my first day. Come up when you're ready. Just don't touch anything. Almost every project in here can kill you if you're not careful."**

**"No touching," Leo promised. **

"They didn't say no touching the fire." Leo muttered evilly.

**His cabin mates filed out of the forge. Soon Leo was alone with the sounds of the bellows, the waterwheels, and small machines clicking and whirring. He stared at the map of camp—the locations where his new found siblings were going to put traps to catch a dragon. It was wrong. Plain wrong. Very rare, he thought. And always dangerous.**

**He held out his hand and studied his fingers. They were long and thin, not call used like the other Hephaestus campers'. Leo had never been the biggest or the strongest kid. He'd survived in tough neighborhoods, tough schools, tough foster homes by using his wits. He was the class clown, the court jester, because he'd learned early that if you cracked jokes and pretended you weren't scared, you usually didn't get beat up. Even the baddest gangster kids would tolerate you, keep you around for laughs. Plus, humor was a good way to hide the pain. And if that didn't work, there was always Plan B. Run away. Over and over.**

**There _was _a Plan C, but he'd promised himself never to use it again.**

**He felt an urge to try it now—something he hadn't done since the accident, since his mom's death. He extended his fingers and felt them tingle, like they were waking up—pins and needles. Then flames flickered to life, curls of red-hot fire dancing across his palm. **

Leo finished just as Percy shot him with more water. "Oh, it's on, Kelp Head."

Percy furrowed his brows, but shot him again. "Come on, Pyro. You scared?"

"Not in a million years."

The gods joined in on the fight until Annabeth had an idea. "Let's have a war. Everyone who wants to participate go into the amphitheater and wait for further instructions." Annabeth instructed and most went to the amphitheater.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry I haven't updated. i feel horrible about it. Hope you enjoyed it! If you guys want to see anything specific just let me know_


	7. This Is War

**Annabeth POV **

Everyone except for Hera, Aphrodite, and Hestia was in the amphitheater. I instructed Jason to be the other team captain. It was Percy's team against Jason's.

"Percy, you will start by picking someone. Then you'll go back and forth until everyone's gone." I explained. There were nineteen of us so the teams won't be even. I'm still surprised Aphrodite wanted to play.

Percy started, "Annabeth."

"Leo," said Jason

"Nico." Percy said confidentiality. Nico smirked.

"Piper." Jason stated.

"Frank." Percy smiled.

"Hazel." Both Frank and Hazel complained but join their teams.

"Poseidon." Poseidon beamed at his son.

"Zeus." Zeus had an evil glint in his eye when he walked over to his son.

"Hades." Hades chuckled evilly and high-fived Nico.

"Ares." Ares threw Percy a glare.

"Athena." Athena joined me next to my boyfriend and his father.

"Hephaestus." Leo let flames dance across his palm which made Hephaestus smile.

"Artemis."

"You're lucky I like you, boy." Artemis said to Percy.

"Hermes."

"Apollo."

"Dionysus."

"Aphrodite."

"Percabeth!" Aphrodite squealed.

Leo laughed hysterically. "How is it that Aphrodite likes Percy's relationship more then her own daughter's?"

I joined in and soon everyone else was laughing with us. "Because it took Percy and Annabeth years of getting to know each other, coming to terms with their emotions, and basically going through hell and back for them to _finally _get together. While my daughter's relationship was handed to her. Sorry sweetie." Aphrodite admitted.

"None taken, mom." Piper said honestly.

I thought about it. Aphrodite's right. It did take us years to finally come to terms with our emotions. Then we were thrown into a lake. I shook myself mentally and focused on the battle. "So we're basically going to prank each other and play capture the flag. The teams aren't even, but that shouldn't matter."

Everyone nodded and Jason's team jogged off. "Damn. They have Hermes."

"But we have Apollo." I countered. "And Hades."

"True. So where should we hide our flag?" Nico asked.

"In Poseidon's temple. In a tank filled with sharks. Wait, we can add Frank to that."

"Will do." Frank walked off with Poseidon to hide the flag.

"Apollo, Hades, we need prank ideas worthy of the both of you." Percy said.

Apollo and Hades nodded and headed off with Nico to think of ideas. Athena, Artemis, Aphrodite, Percy, and I decided to map out Olympus. Athena grabbed parchment and a pencil. She started to sketch one side while I started on the other.

"We'll gather some things and sneak around." Percy kissed my cheek before leaving with Artemis and Aphrodite.

Poseidon came back after a few minutes and was on watch while Athena and I finished the map. When we finished, Percy came running back with Nico. Both of them were smiling. "We know where their flag is." Percy said.

"And we have tons of pranks." Nico added.

I grinned. There is no way the other team is going to win this.

**Piper POV **

It was my job to hide the flag. Which I hid in Hermes's room in one of his flying shoes. It would take forever for the other team to find the flag because there are thousands of pairs of flying shoes. I made my way back to the rest of them team. So far we had nothing accept for where we hid the flag. On my way back I heard Nico and Percy talking.

"We don't even know where to hide the flag!" Percy exclaimed.

"Maybe in the amphitheater? That's all I've got. Annabeth is going to be so pissed. She hasn't even gotten anything done yet. She's been waiting for us."

"We'll just have to roll with it and hope the other team doesn't figure out where our flag is."

I didn't wait to hear the rest. I ran back to my team. "Jason!" I called.

He spun around and smiled at me. "Yeah?"

"I know where they're hiding the flag. I overheard Percy and Nico talking. They're hiding it in the amphitheater."

Jason grinned evilly. "So they'll probably have Percy guarding it since he's the strongest demigod and Poseidon since he's water like Percy. We'll send Hephaestus and Leo."

I nodded. Jason called over Leo and Hephaestus and explained what they were going to do. This war is going to be easy and quick. The other team has nothing like us but we know where they're hiding their flag. They left and everyone else started making plans in case this went wrong.

**Percy POV **

Nico and I saw where Piper hid the flag, and which shoe, and we decided to trick her knowing that she'd go and tell Jason. I was hoping they'd send Pyro and Hephaestus. After telling Annabeth the plan, she explained it to everyone else. Poseidon and I sat in the amphitheater waiting for Pyro. Him and Hephaestus showed a couple minutes later. They looked shocked.

"Where's the flag?" Pyro asked.

"Not here. That's for sure." I smirked.

"You tricked us." Hephaestus said.

"Someone's got brains." I laughed.

The fight was extremely easy. Poseidon and I created a gigantic wave and crashed it down onto Pyro and Hephaestus. That washed them both out. Then we blind folded them and dragged them inside the temple to our POW camp. They were tied up, gagged, and blind folded. Poseidon and I high-fived. Hades and Poseidon were supposed to watch our POW's. I went back to Annabeth and we decided to start with the pranks. Aphrodite was more then willing to help "Percabeth" with the pranks. Still a weird name for us. Artemis was our watch. She got our attention to let us know the other team was coming. The next thing that happened left Annabeth and I in shock. That's when all hell broke loose.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry for not getting up a chapter sooner. Still not realizing how long it takes to do one chapter. Who will win CTF? Team Jason or Team Percy? Or will it be a tie? Or will there be a mystery team joining us? _


	8. AN

A/N: I am so sorry you guys! I've had so much to do lately and I'll try to get the chapter up soon. School is making me uber stressed and I've had tons of projects, etc. Like I said before, I'll get a chapter up soon. No need to fret. I would have gotten one up today like I wanted but my History teacher gave a big project that's due first thing when I get back to school and my book for language arts is freaking me out. Hopefully I'll see you guys soon.

XOXOXO

DeathAssassinFaerie


	9. Chapter 8

**I just have to say. How did you know? By the by, the characters are ooc... :D I'm not Rick so I cn't make them perfect and like their original selves **

Lightning zapped both mine and Jason's team. Everyone looked at Zeus and Jason until a familiar person spoke up. "So, why are you guys having a war on Olympus when you should be fighting Gaea?"

"Thalia!" I heard Annabeth screech and saw her tackle Thalia.

Thalia pulled back and stared at me. "Aren't you not supposed to be here?"

"Long story."

"I have time. I have absolutely no idea why I was sent here. All I know is that I had to be here because you guys were going to do something about Gaea."

"Actually, we're just explaining to the gods what happened. We're reading books."

Thalia snorted. "You? Reading books?"

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Alright, Pinecone Face."

Her gaze narrowed. "Seaweed Brain."

Lightning streaked across the sky with a loud clap of thunder. Annabeth's eyes widened. I formed a wave behind me. Annabeth's mouth dropped, but she soon regained her composure. "Thalia! Percy!" she screamed so loud everyone had to cover their ears, making my wave drop and the storm that was brewing stop.

Everyone stared, shocked, at Annabeth. "That's my girl." I grinned.

Annabeth turned bright red and chuckled nervously at all the attention and the embarrassing moment. I wrapped my arm around her waist and took a seat on a bench nearby, pulling her onto my lap.

"I guess we should be reading another chapter." Leo yawned.

I rolled my eyes. "Tired already, Pyro?"

Leo's gaze narrowed. "Hell yes, Shark-bait."

"Shark-bait?" I raised an eyebrow, suppressing a laugh and stifling a smile.

Leo shrugged. "I'm too tired for comebacks."

"This wasn't a very long war." Hades frowned.

"Too bad," I said at the same time Nico did. We grinned at each other. "If we want to get back to the present time and try to stop Gaea then we must continue with the story."

"Touche."

Instead of going back into the temple, we stayed out in the amphitheater to read the next chapter. I smirked and chucked the book at Thalia. "Read, Pinecone face."

Thalia stuck her tongue out but started to read anyway. Then she started, "

**AS SOON AS JASON SAW THE HOUSE, he knew he was a dead man. **

Everyone burst out laughing. Hera frowned and said under her breath, "But he's still here."

I don't think I was supposed to hear that. If anyone else did they didn't say anything.

**"Here we are!" Drew said cheerfully. "The Big House, camp headquarters."**

**It didn't look threatening, just a four-story manor painted baby blue with white trim. The wraparound porch had lounge chairs, a card table, and an empty wheelchair. Wind chimes shaped like nymphs turned into trees as they spun. Jason could imagine old people coming here for summer vacation, sitting on the porch and sipping prune juice while they watched the sunset. Still, the windows seemed to glare down at him like angry eyes. The wide-open doorway looked ready to swallow him. On the highest gable, a bronze eagle weather vane spun in the wind and pointed straight in his direction, as if telling him to turn around. **

I chuckled. "That's right, turn around, Thunder boy. Camp Half Blood is no place for you."

Jason gave a laugh and shook his head.

**Every molecule in Jason's body told him he was on enemy ground. **

"That's about right." I said aloud making people, well gods, laugh.

**"I am ****_not_**** supposed to be here," he said. **

"Of course not."

**Drew circled her arm through his. "Oh, please. You're ****_perfect_**** here, sweetie. Believe me, I've seen a lot of heroes." **

Everyone burst out laughing. Some were even rolling on the floor holding their stomachs.

**Drew smelled like Christmas—a strange combination of pine and nutmeg. Jason wondered if she always smelled like that, or if it was some kind of special perfume for the holidays. Her pink eyeliner was really distracting. Every time she blinked, he felt compelled to look at her. Maybe that was the point, to show off her warm brown eyes. She was pretty. No doubt about that. But she made Jason feel uncomfortable. He slipped his arm away as gently as he could. "Look, I appreciate—"**

**"Is it that girl?" Drew pouted. "Oh, please, tell me you are ****_not_**** dating the Dumpster Queen." **

"I am not a Dumpster Queen!" Piper huffed.

**"You mean Piper? Um …"**

**Jason wasn't sure how to answer. He didn't think he'd ever seen Piper before today, but he felt strangely guilty about it. He knew he shouldn't be in this place. He shouldn't befriend these people, and certainly he shouldn't date one of them. Still… Piper had been holding his hand when he woke up on that bus. She believed she was his girlfriend. She'd been brave on the skywalk, fighting those ****_venti_****, and when Jason had caught her in midair and they'd held each other face-to-face, he couldn't pretend he wasn't a little tempted to kiss her. But that wasn't right. He didn't even know his own story. He couldn't play with her emotions like that.**

**Drew rolled her eyes. "Let me help you decide, sweetie. You can do better. A guy with your looks and obvious talent?"**

**She wasn't looking at him, though. She was staring at a spot right above his head.**

**"You're waiting for a sign," he guessed. "Like what popped over Leo's head."**

**"What? No! Well… yes. I mean, from what I heard, you're pretty powerful, right? You're going to be important at camp, so I figure your parent will claim you right away. And I'd love to see that. I wanna be with you every step of the way! So is your dad or mom the god? Please tel me it's not your mom. I would hate it if you were an ****_Aphrodite _****kid."**

**"Why?"**

**"Then you'd be my half brother, silly. You can't date somebody from your own cabin. Yuck!"**

**"But aren't all the gods related?" Jason asked. "So isn't everyone here your cousin or something?"**

**"Aren't you cute! Sweetie, the godly side of your family doesn't count except for your parent. So anybody from another cabin—they're fair game. So who's your godly parent—mom or dad?"**

**As usual, Jason didn't have an answer. He looked up, but no glowing sign popped above his head. At the top of the Big House, the weather vane was still pointing his direction, that bronze eagle glaring as if to say, ****_Turn around, kid, while you still can._**** Then he heard footsteps on the front porch. No—not footsteps— ****_hooves_****. **

"Chiron," I grinned.

**"Chiron!" Drew called. "This is Jason. He's totally awesome!" **

"Whoa, Percy, you and Drew are like twins!" Leo exclaimed.

I stuck out my tongue in disgust. How dare he compare this awesomeness to that- that thing. Annabeth looked at me before pressing her lips to mine. It was like everything else around us vanished. It was just me and Annabeth. I ran my tongue along her bottom lip practically begging for entrance. Annabeth obliged eagerly. Someone, probably Aphrodite, squealed as Thalia continued reading.

**Jason backed up so fast he almost tripped. Rounding the corner of the porch was a man on horseback. Except he wasn't on horseback—he was part of the horse. From the waist up he was human, with curly brown hair and a well-trimmed beard. He wore a T-shirt that said ****_World's Best Centaur_****, and had a quiver and bow strapped to his back. His head was so high up he had to duck to avoid the porch lights, because from the waist down, he was a white stallion. **

**Chiron started to smile at Jason. Then the color drained from his face. **

**"You …" The centaur's eyes flared like a cornered animal's. "You should be dead." **

**Chiron ordered Jason—well, ****_invited_****, but it sounded like an order—to come inside the house. He told Drew to go back to her cabin, which Drew didn't look happy about. **

Mine and Annabeth's kissing noises interrupted them and my father sent a tidal wave over us. Annabeth and I pulled back gasping for air and grinning like fools. Aphrodite looked like she was going to faint with happiness.

**The centaur trotted over to the empty wheelchair on the porch. He slipped off his quiver and bow and backed up to the chair, which opened like a magician's box. Chiron gingerly stepped into it with his back legs and began scrunching himself into a space that should've been much too small. Jason imagined a truck's reversing noises— ****_beep, beep, beep—_**** as the centaur's lower half disappeared and the chair folded up, popping out a set of fake human legs covered in a blanket, so Chiron appeared to be a regular mortal guy in a wheelchair.**

**"Follow me," he ordered. "We have lemonade." **

"Ooooo lemonade." Leo mocked.

I sent water his way just as Thalia hit him with lightning and Annabeth sent her mother's owls.

**The living room looked like it had been swallowed by a rain forest. Grapevines curved up the walls and across the ceiling, which Jason found a little strange. He didn't think plants grew like that inside, especial y in the winter, but these were leafy green and bursting with bunches of red grapes. Leather couches faced a stone fireplace with a crackling fire. Wedged in one corner, an old-style Pac-Man arcade game beeped and blinked. Mounted on the walls was an assortment of masks—smiley/frowny Greek theater types, feathered Mardi Gras masks, Venetian ****_Carnevale _****masks with big beak-like noses, carved wooden masks from Africa. Grapevines grew through their mouths so they seemed to have leafy tongues. Some had red grapes bulging through their eye holes.**

**But the weirdest thing was the stuffed leopard's head above the fireplace. It looked so real, its eyes seemed to follow Jason. Then it snarled, and Jason nearly leaped out of his skin.**

**"Now, Seymour," Chiron chided. "Jason is a friend. Behave yourself." **

Dionysus chuckled. "Good ole Seymour."

**"That thing is alive!" Jason said.**

**Chiron rummaged through the side pocket of his wheelchair and brought out a package of Snausages. He threw one to the leopard, who snapped it up and licked his lips.**

**"You must excuse the décor," Chiron said. "All this was a parting gift from our old director before he was recalled to Mount Olympus. He thought it would help us to remember him. Mr. D has a strange sense of humor." **

Dionysus grinned. "I think he likes it."

**"Mr. D," Jason said. "Dionysus?"**

**"Mmm hmm." Chiron poured lemonade, though his hands were trembling a little. "As for Seymour, well, Mr. D liberated him from a Long Island garage sale. The leopard is Mr. D's sacred animal, you see, and Mr. D was appalled that someone would stuff such a noble creature. He decided to grant it life, on the assumption that life as a mounted head was better than no life at all. I must say it's a kinder fate than Seymour's previous owner got."**

**Seymour bared his fangs and sniffed the air, as if hunting for more Snausages.**

**"If he's only a head," Jason said, "where does the food go when he eats?"**

**"Better not to ask," Chiron said. "Please, sit."**

**Jason took some lemonade, though his stomach was fluttering. Chiron sat back in his wheelchair and tried for a smile, but Jason could tel it was forced. The old man's eyes were as deep and dark as wells.**

**"So, Jason," he said, "would you mind telling me—ah—where you're from?"**

**"I wish I knew." Jason told him the whole story, from waking up on the bus to crash-landing at Camp Half-Blood. He didn't see any point in hiding the details, and Chiron was a good listener. He didn't react to the story, other than to nod encouragingly for more. When Jason was done, the old man sipped his lemonade. **

**"I see," Chiron said. "And you must have questions for me."**

**"Only one," Jason admitted. "What did you mean when you said that I should be dead?" **

Some of the gods looked amused. Frank and Hazel were trying not to smile or laugh.

**Chiron studied him with concern, as if he expected Jason to burst into flames. "My boy, do you know what those marks on your arm mean? The color of your shirt? Do you remember anything?"**

**Jason looked at the tattoo on his forearm: SPQR, the eagle, twelve straight lines.**

**"No," he said. "Nothing."**

**"Do you know where you are?" Chiron asked. "Do you understand what this place is, and who I am?"**

**"You're Chiron the centaur," Jason said. "I'm guessing you're the same one from the old stories, who used to train the Greek heroes like Heracles. This is a camp for demigods, children of the Olympian gods."**

**"So you believe those gods still exist?"**

**"Yes," Jason said immediately. "I mean, I don't think we should ****_worship _****them or sacrifice chickens to them or anything, but they're still around because they're a powerful part of civilization. They move from country to country as the center of power shifts—like they moved from Ancient Greece to Rome."**

**_"I couldn't have said it better." _****Something about Chiron's voice had changed. ****_"So you already know the gods are real. You have already been _****_claimed, haven't you?"_**

**_"Maybe," _****Jason answered. ****_"I'm not really sure."_**

**Seymour the leopard snarled.**

**Chiron waited, and Jason realized what had just happened. The centaur had switched to another language and Jason had understood, automatically answering in the same tongue.**

**_"Quis erat—" _****Jason faltered, then made a conscious effort to speak English. "What was that?"**

**"You know Latin," Chiron observed. "Most demigods recognize a few phrases, of course. It's in their blood, but not as much as Ancient Greek. None can speak Latin fluently without practice."**

**Jason tried to wrap his mind around what that meant, but too many pieces were missing from his memory. He still had the feeling that he shouldn't be here. It was wrong—and dangerous. But at least Chiron wasn't threatening. In fact the centaur seemed concerned for him, afraid for his safety. The fire reflected in Chiron's eyes, making them dance fretfully. "I taught your namesake, you know, the original Jason. He had a hard path. I've seen many heroes come and go. Occasionally, they have happy endings. Mostly, they don't. It breaks my heart, like losing a child each time one of my pupils dies. But you—you are not like any pupil I've ever taught. Your presence here could be a disaster." **

"I still don't understand why he compares everyone to their original if they have one." Mr. D muttered.

**"Thanks," Jason said. "You must be an inspiring teacher."**

**"I am sorry, my boy. But it's true. I had hoped that after Percy's success—" **

"Mwuhahahaha!" I laughed causing everyone to look at me like I had two heads. "Everyone keeps talking about me."

"Seaweed Brain, don't be so self centered." Annabeth reprimanded.

**"Percy Jackson, you mean. Annabeth's boyfriend, the one who's missing." **

"Yep!" I said happily causing Jason to glare.

**Chiron nodded. "I hoped that after he succeeded in the Titan War and saved Mount Olympus, we might have some peace. I might be able to enjoy one final triumph, a happy ending, and perhaps retire quietly. I should have known better. The last chapter approaches, just as it did before. The worst is yet to come." **

No one said anything. An eerie quiet settled around us. Every one of us suddenly found an interest in the floor. Thalia cleared her throat awkwardly before continuing.

**In the corner, the arcade game made a sad ****_pew-pew-pew-pew_**** sound, like a Pac-Man had just died.**

**"Ohh-kay," Jason said. "So—last chapter, happened before, worst yet to come. Sounds fun, but can we go back to the part where I'm supposed to be dead? I don't like that part."**

**"I'm afraid I can't explain, my boy. I swore on the River Styx and on all things sacred that I would never …" Chiron frowned. "But you're here, in violation of the same oath. That too, should not be possible. I don't understand. Who would've done such a thing? Who—" **

"Hera." Leo coughed incoherently.

**Seymour the leopard howled. His mouth froze, half open. The arcade game stopped beeping. The fire stopped crackling, its flames hardening like red glass. The masks stared down silently at Jason with their grotesque grape eyes and leafy tongues.**

**"Chiron?" Jason asked. "What's going—"**

**The old centaur had frozen, too. Jason jumped off the couch, but Chiron kept staring at the same spot, his mouth open mid-sentence. His eyes didn't blink. His chest didn't move.**

**_Jason_****, a voice said. **

"Gaea?" Thalia wondered.

**For a horrible moment, he thought the leopard had spoken. Then dark mist boiled out of Seymour's mouth, and an even worse thought occurred to Jason: ****_storm spirits_****.**

**He grabbed the golden coin from his pocket. With a quick flip, it changed into a sword.**

**The mist took the form of a woman in black robes. Her face was hooded, but her eyes glowed in the darkness. Over her shoulders she wore a goatskin cloak. Jason wasn't sure how he knew it was goatskin, but he recognized it and knew it was important. ****_Would you attack your patron? _****the woman chided. Her voice echoed in Jason's head. ****_Lower your sword._**

**"Who are you?" he demanded. "How did you—"**

**_Our time is limited, Jason. My prison grows stronger by the hour. It took me a full month to gather enough energy to work even the smallest _****_magic through its bonds. I've managed to bring you here, but now I have little time left, and even less power. This may be the last time I can speak to _****_you._**

"Juno." Thalia confirmed.

**"You're in prison?" Jason decided maybe he wouldn't lower his sword. "Look, I don't know you, and you're not my patron." **

Us demigods erupted in laughter.

**_You know me_****, she insisted. ****_I have known you since your birth._**

**"I don't remember. I don't remember anything."**

**_No, you don't, _****she agreed. ****_That also was necessary. Long ago, your father gave me your life as a gift to placate my anger. He named you Jason,_****_after my favorite mortal. You belong to me._ **

"Blah, blah, blah, blah." Annabeth and I muttered at the same time under our breath making the both of us laugh.

Something stirred inside of me and all the feelings that I have been pushing down came out. It was awkwardly quiet as I cupped Annabeth's face in my hands and kissed her passionately. They ignored us and continued reading. Or at least tried too.

**"Whoa," Jason said. "I don't belong to anyone."**

**_Now is the time to pay your debt, _****she said. ****_Find my prison. Free me_****, ****_or their king will rise from the earth, and I will be destroyed. You will never _****_retrieve your memory._**

**"Is that a threat? You ****_took_**** my memories?"**

**_You have until sunset on the solstice, Jason. Four short days. Do not fail me._**

**The dark woman dissolved, and the mist curled into the leopard's mouth.**

**Time unfroze. Seymour's howl turned into a cough like he'd sucked in a hair ball. The fire crackled to life, the arcade machine beeped, and Chiron said, "—would dare to bring you here?"**

**"Probably the lady in the mist," Jason offered.**

**Chiron looked up in surprise. "Weren't you just sitting … why do you have a sword drawn?"**

**"I hate to tell you this," Jason said, "but I think your leopard just ate a goddess." **

Everyone else chuckled while Annabeth and I pulled away, took a breath, and then kissed again, our mouths moving in sync.

**He told Chiron about the frozen-in-time visit, the dark misty figure that disappeared into Seymour's mouth.**

**"Oh, dear," Chiron murmured. "That does explain a lot."**

**"Then why don't you explain a lot to me?" Jason said. "Please."**

**Before Chiron could say anything, footsteps reverberated on the porch outside. The front door blew open, and Annabeth and another girl, a redhead, burst in, dragging Piper between them. Piper's head lolled like she was unconscious.**

**"What happened?" Jason rushed over. "What's wrong with her?"**

**"Hera's cabin," Annabeth gasped, like they'd run all the way. "Vision. Bad."**

**The redheaded girl looked up, and Jason saw that she'd been crying.**

**"I think …" The redheaded girl gulped. "I think I may have killed her." **

From what I could see, Piper looked down at herself and shrugged. "I look very alive."

Thalia turned to Annabeth and I. "Jeez you two. It's like you haven't kissed in forever."

"We... Haven't... Really... Been... Able... Too." Annabeth said in between kisses.

Aphrodite squealed again while Thalia chucked the book at Hades. "You next, dead man."

Hades put a hand to his chest in mock hurt. Zeus and Poseidon rolled their eyes.

* * *

_A/N: This sort of feels like a rushed chapter to me, but whatever. Hope you guys enjoyed. I'm starting to get a little bit faster at fixing these things up so hopefully I'll have another one up soon. _


	10. Chapter 9

"I already read, but I know you guys like my awesome reading skills so..." Hades cleared his throat dramatically while everyone else groaned at how egotistical he was being.

**JASON AND THE REDHEAD, WHO INTRODUCED herself as Rachel, put Piper on the couch while Annabeth rushed down the hall to get a med kit. Piper was still breathing, but she wouldn't wake up. She seemed to be in some kind of coma. **

**"We've got to heal her," Jason insisted. "There's a way, right?" **

"No," Dionysus said sarcastically with a you've-got-to-be-kidding-me look on his face.

**Seeing her so pale, barely breathing, Jason felt a surge of protectiveness. Maybe he didn't really know her. Maybe she wasn't his girlfriend. But they'd survived the Grand Canyon together. They'd come all this way. He'd left her side for a little while, and ****_this_**** had happened. Chiron put his hand on her forehead and grimaced. "Her mind is in a fragile state. Rachel, what happened?" **

"Wait, wait, wait. Mom, how come when Percy and Annabeth kiss or she mentions him in the book, you're always swooning over how romantic and cute they are, but when Jason is feeling protective over me, you don't do anything?" Piper was getting seriously annoyed with her mother's antics over the couple.

"Maybe it's because Aphrodite has so many sons and daughters that it has never really bothered her," Artemis pointed out.

"Or maybe because there is only one Percy and one Annabeth," Apollo added.

"What has that got to do with anything?" Piper's voice raised an octave as she said this exasperated.

"Look at it this way Piper, Athena and Poseidon are basically enemies. Their children are _dating_," Thalia said with plenty of emphasis on dating.

"Hopefully they'll get married as soon as they finish their quest!" Aphrodite squealed once again over the lovely couple.

The demigods fell into an eerie silence. They all looked at each other with sadness in their eyes. Nico held his threatening tears at bay. "We'll get you out," he whispered to Percy and Annabeth.

The gods watched the exchange between their children with interest and curiosity. Thalia whipped her head between Nico and the couple. Nico looked towards Thalia. His eyes told her 'I'll explain everything later.'

The room started to become sad a depressing so Hades started to read again.

**"I wish I knew," she said. "As soon as I got to camp, I had a premonition about Hera's cabin. I went inside. Annabeth and Piper came in while I was there. We talked, and then—I just blanked out. Annabeth said I spoke in a different voice."**

**"A prophecy?" Chiron asked.**

**"No. The spirit of Delphi comes from within. I know how that feels. This was like long distance, a power trying to speak through me."**

**Annabeth ran in with a leather pouch. She knelt next to Piper. "Chiron, what happened back there—I've never seen anything like it. I've heard Rachel's prophecy voice. This was different. She sounded like an older woman. She grabbed Piper's shoulders and told her—"**

**"To free her from a prison?" Jason guessed.**

**Annabeth stared at him. "How did you know that?"**

**Chiron made a three-fingered gesture over his heart, like a ward against evil. **

**"Jason, tell them. Annabeth, the medicine bag, please."**

**Chiron trickled drops from a medicine vial into Piper's mouth while Jason explained what had happened when the room froze—the dark misty woman who had claimed to be Jason's patron.**

**When he was done, no one spoke, which made him more anxious.**

**"So does this happen often?" he asked. "Supernatural phone calls from convicts demanding you bust them out of jail?" **

Leo laughed, trying to lighten the mood. See at how his tactic didn't work, he shut up and sat quietly in his chair.

**"Your patron," Annabeth said. "Not your godly parent?"**

**"No, she said ****_patron_****. She also said my dad had given her my life."**

**Annabeth frowned. "I've never of heard anything like that before. You said the storm spirit on the skywalk—he claimed to be working for some mistress who was giving him orders, right? Could it be this woman you saw, messing with your mind?"**

**"I don't think so," Jason said. "If she were my enemy, why would she be asking for my help? She's imprisoned. She's worried about some enemy getting more powerful. Something about a king rising from the earth on the solstice—"**

**Annabeth turned to Chiron. "Not Kronos. Please tell me it's not that."**

**The centaur looked miserable. He held Piper's wrist, checking her pulse.**

**At last he said, "It is not Kronos. That threat is ended. But …"**

**"But what?" Annabeth asked.**

**Chiron closed the medicine bag. "Piper needs rest. We should discuss this later."**

**"Or now," Jason said. "Sir, Mr. Chiron, you told me the greatest threat was coming. The last chapter. You can't possibly mean something worse than an army of Titans, right?"**

**"Oh," Rachel said in a smal voice. "Oh, dear. The woman was Hera. Of course. Her cabin, her voice. She showed herself to Jason at the same moment."**

**"Hera?" Annabeth's snarl was even fiercer than Seymour's. ****_"She_**** took you over? She did this to Piper?"**

**"I think Rachel's right," Jason said. "The woman did seem like a goddess. And she wore this—this goatskin cloak. That's a symbol of Juno, isn't it?"**

**"It is?" Annabeth scowled. "I've never heard that." **

"Ahhh, the child doesn't know everything," Dionysus chuckled to himself.

Annabeth took off her shoe and threw it at him. "Shut up. Nobody asked you to talk." Her voice was raspy and hoarse as if she'd been crying.

Dionysus got hit in the head, causing him to frown. Percy wrapped a comforting arm around his girlfriend and rubbed circles on her palm to soothe her.

**Chiron nodded reluctantly. "Of Juno, Hera's Roman aspect, in her most warlike state. The goatskin cloak was a symbol of the Roman soldier."**

**"So Hera is imprisoned?" Rachel asked. "Who could do that to the queen of the gods?"**

**Annabeth crossed her arms. "Well, whoever they are, maybe we should thank them. If they can shut up Hera—"**

**"Annabeth," Chiron warned, "she is still one of the Olympians. In many ways, she is the glue that holds the gods' family together. If she truly has been imprisoned and is in danger of destruction, this could shake the foundations of the world. It could unravel the stability of Olympus, which is never great even in the best of times. And if Hera has asked Jason for help—"**

**"Fine," Annabeth grumbled. "Well, we know Titans can capture a god, right? Atlas captured Artemis a few years ago. And in the old stories, the gods captured each other in traps all the time. But something worse than a Titan … ?"**

**Jason looked at the leopard's head. Seymour was smacking his lips like the goddess had tasted much better than a Snausage. "Hera said she'd been trying to break through her prison bonds for a month."**

**"Which is how long Olympus has been closed," Annabeth said. "So the gods must know something bad is going on."**

**"But why use her energy to send me here?" Jason asked. "She wiped my memory, plopped me into the Wilderness School field trip, and sent you a dream vision to come pick me up. Why am I so important? Why not just send up an emergency flare to the other gods—let them know where she is so they bust her out?"**

**"The gods need heroes to do their will down here on earth," Rachel said. "That's right, isn't it? Their fates are always intertwined with demigods."**

**"That's true," Annabeth said, "but Jason's got a point. Why him? Why take his memory?"**

**"And Piper's involved somehow," Rachel said. "Hera sent her the same message— ****_Free me_****. And, Annabeth, this must have something to do with Percy's disappearing."**

**Annabeth fixed her eyes on Chiron. "Why are you so quiet, Chiron? What is it we're facing?"**

**The old centaur's face looked like it had aged ten years in a matter of minutes. The lines around his eyes were deeply etched. "My dear, in this, I cannot help you. I am so sorry."**

**Annabeth blinked. "You've never … you've ****_never _****kept information from me. Even the last great prophecy—"**

**"I will be in my office." His voice was heavy. "I need some time to think before dinner. Rachel, will you watch the girl? Call Argus to bring her to the infirmary, if you'd like. And Annabeth, you should speak with Jason. Tell him about—about the Greek and Roman gods."**

**"But …" **

Annabeth took a deep breath to calm herself. She was just so full of emotions right now. Percy gave her a peck on the lips. "Us demigods can have a little sleepover tonight if you would like. We could reminisce about all the good times we all had if it will make you feel better," Percy whisper too low for anyone to hear except for Annabeth, who nodded her head.

**The centaur turned his wheelchair and rolled off down the hallway. Annabeth's eyes turned stormy. She muttered something in Greek, and Jason got the feeling it wasn't complimentary toward centaurs.**

**"I'm sorry," Jason said. "I think my being here—I don't know. I've messed things up coming to the camp, somehow. Chiron said he'd sworn an oath and couldn't talk about it."**

**"What oath?" Annabeth demanded. "I've never seen him act this way. And why would he tell me to talk to you about the gods..."**

**Her voice trailed off. Apparently she'd just noticed Jason's sword sitting on the coffee table. She touched the blade gingerly, like it might be hot.**

**"Is this gold?" she said. "Do you remember where you got it?"**

**"No," Jason said. "Like I said, I don't remember anything."**

**Annabeth nodded, like she'd just come up with a rather desperate plan. "If Chiron won't help, we'll need to figure things out ourselves. Which means****… Cabin Fifteen. Rachel, you'll keep an eye on Piper?"**

**"Sure," Rachel promised. "Good luck, you two."**

**"Hold on," Jason said. "What's in Cabin Fifteen?" **

"Dominoes," Leo and Nico answered at the same time causing everyone, including all of the demigods to laugh.

"Actually, it's more like pillows upon pillows," Percy chimed in.

Everyone chuckled. "Hypnos and his children really like to sleep," Athena said.

Zeus shrugged nonchalantly. "Like father like child."

"I can see where Jason gets his stubbornness from," Thalia muttered.

"What was that, o'sweet daughter of mine?" Zeus drawled.

"Nothing, dad." Percy snickered at Thalia who stuck her tongue out at him.

**Annabeth stood. "Maybe a way to get your memory back."**

**They headed toward a newer wing of cabins in the southwest corner of the green. Some were fancy, with glowing walls or blazing torches, but Cabin Fifteen was not so dramatic. It looked like an old-fashioned prairie house with mud walls and a rush roof. On the door hung a wreath of crimson flowers****—red poppies, Jason thought, though he wasn't sure how he knew.**

**"You think this is my parent's cabin?" he asked.**

**"No," Annabeth said. "This is the cabin for Hypnos, the god of sleep."**

**"Then why—"**

**"You've forgotten everything," she said. "If there's any god who can help us figure out memory loss, it's Hypnos."**

**Inside, even though it was almost dinnertime, three kids were sound asleep under piles of covers. A warm fire crackled in the hearth. Above the mantel hung a tree branch, each twig dripping white liquid into a collection of tin bowls. Jason was tempted to catch a drop on his finger just to see what it was, but he held himself back.**

**Soft violin music played from somewhere. The air smelled like fresh laundry. The cabin was so cozy and peaceful that Jason's eyelids started to feel heavy. A nap sounded like a great idea. He was exhausted. There were plenty of empty beds, all with feather pillows and fresh sheets and fluffy quilts and****—Annabeth nudged him. "Snap out of it."**

**Jason blinked. He realized his knees had been starting to buckle.**

**"Cabin Fifteen does that to everyone," Annabeth warned. "If you ask me, this place is even more dangerous than the Ares cabin. At least with Ares, you can learn where the land mines are."**

**"Land mines?" **

Ares smiled proudly. "That's my children."

Nico sent him a look of disgust. "I almost got blown up because of your children."

"So?"

"I sent death after them."

**She walked up to the nearest snoring kid and shook his shoulder. "Clovis! Wake up!"**

**The kid looked like a baby cow. He had a blond tuft of hair on a wedge-shaped head, with thick features and a thick neck. His body was stocky, but he had spindly little arms like he'd never lifted anything heavier than a pillow.**

**"Clovis!" Annabeth shook harder, then finally knocked on his forehead about six times.**

**"Wh-wh-what?" Clovis complained, sitting up and squinting. He yawned hugely, and both Annabeth and Jason yawned too.**

**"Stop that!" Annabeth said. "We need your help."**

**"I was sleeping."**

**"You're ****_always_**** sleeping."**

**"Good night." **

"Goodnight," Apollo said with a yawn.

"After this we're going to sleep," Artemis announced with a yawn similar to her twin's.

**Before he could pass out, Annabeth yanked his pillow off the bed.**

**"That's not fair," Clovis complained meekly. "Give it back."**

**"First help," Annabeth said. "Then sleep."**

**Clovis sighed. His breath smelled like warm milk. "Fine. What?"**

**Annabeth explained about Jason's problem. Every once in a while she'd snap her fingers under Clovis's nose to keep him awake. Clovis must have been really excited, because when Annabeth was done, he didn't pass out. He actually stood and stretched, then blinked at Jason.**

**"So you don't remember anything, huh?"**

**"Just impressions," Jason said. "Feelings, like …"**

**"Yes?" Clovis said.**

**"Like I know I shouldn't be here. At this camp. I'm in danger." **

"Ooooo how'd you figure that one out?" Hades asked Jason.

Jason rolled his eyes, but Dionysus intercepted before he could speak. "When Hera came to him in the Big House. The baby didn't know what to do with himself. I bet he peed his pants, but it just didn't tell us in the story."

Hades was going for a high five when Zeus electrocuted both of them. Hades' brows furrowed before he continued reading.

**"Hmm. Close your eyes."**

**Jason glanced at Annabeth, but she nodded reassuringly.**

**Jason was afraid he'd end up snoring in one of the bunks forever, but he closed his eyes. His thoughts became murky, as if he were sinking into a dark lake.**

**The next thing he knew, his eyes snapped open. He was sitting in a chair by the fire. Clovis and Annabeth knelt next to him.**

**"—serious, all right," Clovis was saying.**

**"What happened?" Jason said. "How long—"**

**"Just a few minutes," Annabeth said. "But it was tense. You almost dissolved."**

**Jason hoped she didn't mean ****_literally_****, but her expression was solemn.**

**"Usually," Clovis said, "memories are lost for a good reason. They sink under the surface like dreams, and with a good sleep, I can bring them back. But this …"**

**"Lethe?" Annabeth asked.**

**"No," Clovis said. "Not even Lethe."**

**"Lethe?" Jason asked.**

**Clovis pointed to the tree branch dripping milky drops above the fireplace. "The River Lethe in the Underworld. It dissolves your memories, wipes your mind clean permanently. That's the branch of a poplar tree from the Underworld, dipped into the Lethe. It's the symbol of my father, Hypnos. Lethe is not a place you want to go swimming."**

**Annabeth nodded. "Percy went there once. He told me it was powerful enough to wipe the mind of a Titan."**

**Jason was suddenly glad he hadn't touched the branch. "But … that's not my problem?"**

**"No," Clovis agreed. "Your mind wasn't wiped, and your memories weren't buried. They've been stolen."**

**The fire crackled. Drops of Lethe water plinked into the tin cups on the mantel. One of the other Hypnos campers muttered in his sleep—something about a duck.**

**"Stolen," Jason said. "How?"**

**"A god," Clovis said. "Only a god would have that kind of power."**

**"We know that," said Jason. "It was Juno. But how did she do it, and why?"**

**Clovis scratched his neck. "Juno?"**

**"He means Hera," Annabeth said. "For some reason, Jason likes the Roman names."**

**"Hmm," Clovis said.**

**"What?" Jason asked. "Does that mean something?"**

**"Hmm," Clovis said again, and this time Jason realized he was snoring.**

**"Clovis!" he yelled.**

**"What? What?" His eyes fluttered open. "We were talking about pillows, right? No, gods. I remember. Greek and Roman. Sure, could be important."**

**"But they're the same gods," Annabeth said. "Just different names."**

**"Not exactly," Clovis said.**

**Jason sat forward, now very much awake. "What do you mean, not exactly?"**

**"Well…" Clovis yawned. "Some gods are only Roman. Like Janus, or Pompona. But even the major Greek gods—it's not just their names that changed when they moved to Rome. Their appearances changed. Their attributes changed. They even had slightly different personalities." **

"Is that true?" Zeus asked.

"Yes," all the demigods answered.

Zeus blinked a couple of times before shrugging and motioning to Hades to continue the story.

**"But …" Annabeth faltered. "Okay, so maybe people saw them differently through the centuries. That doesn't change who they are."**

**"Sure it does." Clovis began to nod off, and Jason snapped his fingers under his nose.**

**"Coming, Mother!" he yelped. "I mean … Yeah, I'm awake. So, um, personalities. The gods change to reflect their host cultures. You know that, Annabeth. I mean, these days, Zeus likes tailored suits, reality television, and that Chinese food place on East Twenty-eighth Street, right? It was the same in Roman times, and the gods were Roman almost as long as they were Greek. It was a big empire, lasted for centuries. So of course their Roman aspects are still a big part of their character."**

**"Makes sense," Jason said.**

**Annabeth shook her head, mystified. "But how do you know all this, Clovis?"**

**"Oh, I spend a lot of time dreaming. I see the gods there all the time—always shifting forms. Dreams are fluid, you know. You can be in different places at once, always changing identities. It's a lot like being a god, actually. Like recently, I dreamed I was watching a Michael Jackson concert, and then I was onstage ****_with _****Michael Jackson, and we were singing this duet, and I could ****_not _****remember the words for 'The Girl Is Mine.' Oh, man, it was so embarrassing, I—"**

**"Clovis," Annabeth interrupted. "Back to Rome?"**

**"Right, Rome," Clovis said. "So we call the gods by their Greek names because that's their original form. But saying their Roman aspects are exactly the same—that's not true. In Rome, they became more warlike. They didn't mingle with mortals as much. They were harsher, more powerful—the gods of an empire."**

**"Like the dark side of the gods?" Annabeth asked.**

**"Not exactly," Clovis said. "They stood for discipline, honor, strength—"**

**"Good things, then," Jason said. For some reason, he felt the need to speak up for the Roman gods, though wasn't sure why it mattered to him. "I mean, discipline is important, right? That's what made Rome last so long."**

**Clovis gave him a curious look. "That's true. But the Roman gods weren't very friendly. For instance, my dad, Hypnos … he didn't do much except sleep in Greek times. In Roman times, they called him Somnus. He liked killing people who didn't stay alert at their jobs. If they nodded off at the wrong time, ****_boom—_**** they never woke up. He killed the helmsman of Aeneas when they were sailing from Troy." **

"That is awesome," Percy grinned.

"Don't be such a guy." Annabeth smacked her boyfriend's chest playfully.

**"Nice guy," Annabeth said. "But I still don't understand what it has to do with Jason." **

**"Neither do I," Clovis said. "But if Hera took your memory, only she can give it back. And if I had to meet the queen of the gods, I'd hope she was more in a Hera mood than a Juno mood. Can I go back to sleep now?"**

**Annabeth stared at the branch above the fire, dripping Lethe water into the cups. She looked so worried, Jason wondered if she was considering a drink to forget her troubles. Then she stood and tossed Clovis his pillow. "Thanks, Clovis. We'll see you at dinner."**

**"Can I get room service?" Clovis yawned and stumbled to his bunk. "I feel like … zzzz …" He collapsed with his butt in the air and his face buried in pillow.**

**"Won't he suffocate?" Jason asked.**

**"He'll be fine," Annabeth said. "But I'm beginning to think that you are in serious trouble." **

"Done," Hades said, clasping the book back and tossing it to his brother, Poseidon.

Percy grabbed Annabeth's hand who grabbed Thalia's hand who grabbed Nico's hand who grabbed Leo's hand who grabbed- okay there was just a whole lot of hand grabbing. The demigods rushed out the door and towards the amphitheater. Mysteriously, there were all ready pillows, blankets, sleeping bags, marshmallows, sticks, graham crackers, and chocolate sitting around a campfire.

* * *

_**A/N: Hey guys. Sorry I haven't updated in like a month. I've had to get a bunch of tests done on my head and heart. But enough about me. seriously, I'll try to get more chapters updated. Anyway, what memories do you guys want? Please leave a review with your ideas. **_


	11. Chapter 10

**Annabeth POV **

"Do you remember the time when we were on Half Blood Hill and you'd just became human again?" Percy asked Thalia.

Thalia burst out laughing. "The look on your face was priceless."

I shook my head. "Both of you are idiots. Remember the time when Clarisse and the rest of the camp threw us into the lake?"

Percy smiled at the memory. "Yeah, and then they all left after a while because we wouldn't come back up."

"That was so funny!" Nico laughed along with the others. Piper, Leo, Jason, Frank, and Hazel pictured the moment perfectly.

"Leo," Hazel laughed. "Do you remember when we met Echo and Narcissus?"

"I am such a badass," Leo smirked smugly.

"Isn't that when you came back onto the Argo II with your hair slicked back and that tattoo?" I asked.

Leo and Hazel nodded trying to contain their fits of laughter. "That day I found you two in the stables freaked me out," Frank told Percy and I. "But the way Coach acted was too funny."

"Never in my life!" Leo bellowed, mimicking Coach. "Against the rules! Irresponsible!"

"Coach," Annabeth said, "it was an accident. We were talking, and we fell asleep."

"Besides," Percy said, "you're starting to sound like Terminus."

Leo narrowed his eyes in a Coach Hedge fashion. "Is that an insult, Jackson? 'Cause I'll—I'll terminus you, buddy!"

Thalia burst out laughing. "Is that really what happened?"

Everyone nodded. "It was too funny. His face went all red and everything."

Percy turned to Nico and said, "Remember the day we found you and Bianca? All the questions you asked, you annoying little freak." Percy and Nico repeated everything like it was yesterday.

"Hey, can I see that sword you were using?" Nico asked.

"I showed him Riptide, and explained how it turned from a pen into a sword just by uncapping it," Percy said.

"Cool! Does it ever run out of ink?"

"Um, well, I don't actually write with it."

"Are you really the son of Poseidon?"

"Well, yeah." They kept going back and forth.

"Can you surf really well, then?"

"I looked at Grover, who was trying hard not to laugh," said Percy, retelling his thoughts.

"Jeez, Nico," I said. "I've never really tried."

"He went on asking questions. Did I fight a lot with Thalia, since she was a daughter of Zeus? (I didn't answer that one.) If Annabeth's mother was Athena, the goddess of wisdom, then why didn't Annabeth know better than to fall off a cliff? (I tried not to strangle Nico for asking that one.) Was Annabeth my girlfriend? (At this point, I was ready to stick the kid in a meat-flavored sack and throw him to the wolves.)"

Everyone burst out laughing again. "Really Nico? I can't believe you asked those things." Piper laughed.

"Well believe it."

"On our way to Annabeth when we were trying to save her, Apollo was incognito. He called himself Fred."

* * *

(I'm just gonna put what the memories they went through so you can reminisce and laugh along with them.)

Leo: "So...giants who can throw mountains. Friendly wolves that will eat us if we show weakness. Evil espresso drinks. Gotcha. Maybe this isn't the best time to bring up my psycho babysitter."

Piper: "Is that another joke?

o.O.o

"This is Leo. I'm the... What's my title? Am I like, admiral, or captain, or..."

"Repair boy."

"Very funny, Piper."

o.O.o

"Blackjack," Percy said, "this is Piper and Jason. They're friends."

The horse nickered.

"Uh, maybe later," Percy answered.

Piper had heard that Percy could speak to horses, being the son of the horse lord Poseidon, but she'd never seen it in action.

"What does Blackjack want?" she asked.

"Donuts," Percy said. "Always donuts."

o.O.o

Grover was sniffing the wind, looking nervous. He fished out his acorns and threw them into the sand, then played his pipes. They rearranged themselves in a pattern that made no sense to me, but Grover looked concerned.

"That's us," he said. "Those five nuts right there."

"Which one is me?" I asked.

"The little deformed one," Zoe suggested.

"Oh, shut up."

o.O.o

"Wow," Thalia muttered. "Apollo is hot."

"He's the sun god," I said.

"That's not what I meant."

o.O.o

"The real story of the Fleece: there were these two children of Zeus, Cadmus and Europa, okay? They were about to get offered up as human sacrifices, when they prayed to Zeus to save them. So Zeus sent this magical flying ram with golden wool, which picked them up in Greece and carried them all the way to Colchis in Asia Minor. Well, actually it carried Cadmus. Europa fell off and died along the way, but that's not important."

"It was probably important to her."

o.O.o

You are okay?" he asked. "Not eaten by monsters?"

"Not even a little bit." I showed him that I still had both arms and both legs, and Tyson clapped happily.

"Yay!" he said. "Now we can eat peanut butter sandwiches and ride fish ponies! We can fight monsters and see Annabeth and make things go BOOM!"

I hoped he didn't mean all at the same time, but I told him absolutely, we'd have a lot of fun this summer.

o.O.o

"God alert!" Blackjack yelled. "It's the wine dude!

Mr. D sighed in exasperation. "The next person, or horse, who calls me the 'wine dude' will end up in a bottle of Merlot!"

o.O.o

"What if it lines up like it did in the Trojan War ... Athena versus Poseidon?"

"I don't know. But I just know that I'll be fighting next to you."

"Why?"

"Because you're my friend, Seaweed Brain. Any more stupid questions?"

* * *

"That one was my favorite," I murmured to Percy.

Percy pressed his forehead to mine. "Do you still mean it?"

"Of course I do." I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his.

Percy nudged my mouth open and slipped his tongue inside. Our tongues battled for dominance. The demigods around us awed. "Promise?" He asked, pulling away ever so slightly.

"I promise."

"And I promise to get us out of Tartarus."

* * *

**_A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update. I've been utterly busy and with all the trips to the doctors/hospital, it's made me very busy. Still don't know why I pass out, but hopefully I'll find out soon. Anyway, I know this isn't a very long/very good chapter, but it's something. Talk to you soon. :)_**


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